India's doctors strike after female colleague's alleged rape, murder

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Medical doctors initiated a nationwide one-day strike in India on Saturday following the alleged rape and murder of a young female colleague at a medical college in Kolkata last week.

The Indian Medical Association organized the strike that shut down all non-essential hospital services for 24 hours throughout India.

The IMA is India's largest organization of medical professionals, and said the apparent crime is an indicator of the "lack of safe spaces for women" in India and the need for the nation to better protect women.

"The entire medical fraternity of India is shocked beyond words at the brutal murder of Ms. Moumita Debnath," IMA secretary-general Dr. Anilkumar Nayak said in a press release .

He said Debnath, 31, was a second-year graduate student and doctor-in-training at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.

"This heinous crime has been committed inside the seminar hall on the third floor of the campus," Nayak said. "There are reasons to believe that she was raped before the murder."

Nayak said the alleged crime "is an index of the anarchy and insecurity prevailing in the campus" and the IMA "condemns the existing situations which enables this crime to be committed with impunity inside the campus."

He said another young resident woman doctor recently was stabbed to death at the Taluk Hospital in Kerala.

"Increasing evidence of the toxic environment prevailing in the workplaces of doctors is highly disturbing," Nayak said. "Doctors, especially women, are highly vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession.

"It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses."

The IMA demands an impartial and thorough investigation of Debnath's death, a detailed inquiry of the conditions that enabled her attack and urgent steps to improve the safety of doctors and especially women in the workplace.

Debnath's death triggered protests in many areas of India, and a mob ransacked the medical school where Debnath's alleged rape and murder took place.

Many doctors have said they won't perform elective procedures for an extended period in response to Debnath's death.

India's Central Bureau of Investigation has been questioning potential witnesses and suspects.

Debnath's parents said the hospital where her death occurred tried to claim she committed suicide to cover up the alleged rape and murder.

CBI investigators have questioned more than 30 potential witnesses and suspects and on Thursday arrested a man named Sanjay Roy as the prime suspect.

Debnath's parents say he is a scapegoat to remove blame from the hospital are convinced their daughter was the victim of a gang rape and murder.