Violent Protests Over Rape and Killing of Trainee Doctor

Thousands of protesters from Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party tried to break a police cordon during a protest demanding the resignation of a top elected official in India.

Protesters accused Mamta Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress party rules the West Bengal state, of mishandling an investigation into the rape and killing of a resident doctor earlier this month.

The Aug. 9 killing of the 31-year-old physician while on duty at a hospital in the state’s capital Kolkata triggered protests across India, focusing on the chronic issue of violence against women in the country.

Modi’s party is the main opposition party in West Bengal.

Police had banned its rally and blocked the roads, which protesters tried to break through.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters and wielded batons.

Some protesters were seen throwing stones at police.

Four student activists were arrested ahead of the rally, police said, accusing them of trying to orchestrate large-scale violence.

The brutal assault against the doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has sparked nationwide outrage and protests.

A police volunteer working at the hospital has been arrested and charged, but the victim’s family say that the assault was a gang rape involving multiple perpetrators.

In Kolkata, thousands have marched in the streets, with many women leading the calls for justice.

Protesters argue that this case underscores the persistent threat of violence faced by women in India, despite the introduction of tougher laws following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a Delhi bus.

Sexual violence remains a widespread problem in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, police registered 31,516 rape cases in 2022—a 20% increase from the previous year.

India’s top court last week set up a national task force of doctors to make recommendations on the safety of health care workers at the workplace.

The Supreme Court said the panel would frame guidelines for the protection of medical professionals and health care workers nationwide.

Earlier this month, hundreds of doctors gathered in New Delhi to protest near India’s health ministry, demanding stronger protections for health care workers.

Demonstrators, carrying placards with messages like “Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied,” were met by police as they tried to set up free outpatient services for patients outside the health ministry.

The father of the trainee doctor thanked the protesters at the time and asked for harsh consequences for the perpetrator.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press