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【Text/Zhang Jingjuan, Observer.com】A vicious incident occurred in India last week. A 31-year-old female intern was raped and murdered while resting in the seminar room of the hospital affiliated to RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. This incident instantly ignited public anger. CNN quoted Sarvesh Pandey, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Resident Doctors Associations (FORDA), as saying that on the 12th, more than 300,000 doctors in India took to the streets to strike for justice for the deceased and demanded that the Indian government strengthen protection for medical staff. At present, hospitals in many parts of India have suspended non-emergency medical services.

The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) issued a statement on social media on the 14th, saying that it had written to JP Nadda, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, stating that it would continue its indefinite strike. Doctors from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also stated that they would continue the current strike until all their demands were met.

According to The Times of India, the relevant investigation results have been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has sent investigators to Kolkata and will conduct further investigations on the morning of the 14th.

According to India's New Delhi Television (NDTV), a large-scale midnight protest will take place on the evening of the 14th, and Indian Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray will also participate.

The suspect is a volunteer: domestic violence, married four times, loves watching violent pornographic clips

On the morning of the 9th, the body of the female intern was found in the hospital's seminar room. NDTV said that the preliminary autopsy report showed that the intern was killed after being sexually assaulted between 3 and 6 a.m. that day, and she was also violently attacked before her death.

According to the report, the perpetrator hit the victim so hard that her eyes were shattered and the fragments pierced both eyes. In addition, "the victim's mouth and private parts were bleeding. She had injuries on her face, abdomen, left leg, neck, right ring finger and lips."

After the incident, the police quickly locked the suspect Sanjoy Roy through the Bluetooth headset found at the scene and arrested him on the 10th. According to local media reports, the man showed no remorse when he was taken away by the police.

Police said the 33-year-old man was a trained boxer who joined the Kolkata Police as a volunteer in 2019 and was later assigned to the police post at the hospital where the incident occurred.

After investigation, it was found that the man had been married at least four times and had abused his wife.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted a police officer as saying, "The pornographic content in his phone was violent and disturbing. We don't know what his mental state was because it is not normal to watch such things."

This rape and murder case is not the first, nor will it be the last

The rape and murder case quickly triggered dissatisfaction among doctors across India with the doctor protection system. According to CNN, Sarvesh Pandey, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA), said that on the 12th, more than 300,000 doctors joined the protest. Many medical associations called on doctors to stop all non-emergency medical services indefinitely. They hope that the case will be heard as soon as possible and called on the government to establish relevant institutions to protect the safety of doctors.

The protesting doctors held signs that read "Save our doctors, save our future." In addition to sexual violence, many doctors highlighted incidents of violence against medical workers and threats from angry patients or their families.

A 2015 survey by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) showed that 75% of doctors in India had faced some form of violence.

"The murder of this young female doctor is not the first, and if appropriate measures are not taken, it will not be the last," IMA wrote on the social platform.

According to the BBC, in India, 30% of doctors and 80% of nurses are women. They are also more vulnerable than their male colleagues. Official Indian data show that in 2022, crimes against women increased by 4%, of which more than 20% involved rape and assault.

It is reported that at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, which sees 3,500 patients a day, interns often work for 36 hours straight. They have no fixed rest room and can only take a nap in the seminar room.

A student from a medical college in Kolkata told the BBC that the hospital where she was interning did not even have a dedicated toilet for female doctors, and she felt uneasy even in the lounge. "A man once broke into the lounge, touched me with his hand, woke me up, and asked me to go and see a patient."

The medical student said she was completely shocked by the incident, but she never thought that a doctor would be raped and killed in a hospital.

The director of the hospital involved resigned

After the vicious rape and murder incident, Sandip Ghosh, the dean of the RG Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata, resigned from his post on the 12th because he "could not tolerate the humiliation on social platforms" and "someone made political speeches in his name, accusing him of blaming the victim."

"The dead girl is like my daughter, and I am also a parent. As a parent, I resign," Gao Xi told reporters.

According to NDTV, shortly after Gao Xi resigned, he was transferred to another medical college.

The move sparked strong criticism from protesters, with medical students chanting "go back" and saying they would not accept such "rubbish" appearing in their school, fearing that the same tragedy would happen again.

Suvendu Adhikari, a senior BJP leader in West Bengal, demanded that Gao Xi be suspended, saying his "misleading statements and careless attitude in the aftermath of this tragic incident expose his indifference to the victims."

The Calcutta High Court also believed that the appointment was indeed inappropriate, "Ghosh is the guardian of all the doctors working there. If he does not express sympathy, who will? He should stay at home instead of working elsewhere."

"The strike will not stop until justice is done and demands are met"

The Federation of All India Medical Associations sent a letter to Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare Nadda on the 14th, stating that it would continue the indefinite strike.

The organization issued a statement on social media saying that it had made two demands to Nadda: first, establish a legislative framework to ensure comprehensive protection for doctors and healthcare professionals across India to address the increasing incidents of violence against them and ensure a safe working environment for them; second, Gao Xi should be suspended rather than transferred elsewhere.

"We did not make the decision to strike lightly. We have no choice but to ensure the safety of medical workers." The Federation of All India Medical Associations said it hopes the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will take immediate action to address their concerns.

According to India's New Delhi Television (NDTV), large-scale midnight protests will break out in many places in India starting at 11:55 p.m. on the 14th.

Indian Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray stated on social media late on the 13th that he would participate in the protest.

"Enough of the brutality against women. Let's fight together," Rai wrote.

After the horrific gang rape on a black bus in New Delhi in 2012, India revised its rape laws, expanded the definition of rape, and established severe penalties for sexual assault, voyeurism, stalking and other behaviors, but the number of crimes remains high.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, a total of 31,516 rape cases were recorded in 2022, an average of 86 cases per day. Victims and protesters believe that the Indian government is still not doing enough to protect women and punish criminals.