A group of Indian doctors and medical students in the UK published an open letter this weekend demanding justice for the junior doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The letter condemns the “brutal rape and murder of a doctor on duty” at the hospital and the “inaction” of the West Bengal government in its response to the incident last week, a PTI report said.
The letter followed a peaceful protest outside India House in London and similar gatherings in British cities such as Edinburgh and Leeds in solidarity with protesting doctors in India.
“This incident is a symptom of the increasing violence against women and the state’s neglect of its citizens,” the open letter states.
“The lack of investment in public infrastructure and security measures disproportionately impacts women, who are already marginalized by patriarchal social conditions. Instead of supporting their empowerment by creating safe jobs and efficient justice mechanisms, government leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, have in the past resorted to victim-blaming and misogynistic responses,” the PTI report said.
“The death of the doctor at RG Kar Medical College is an indication of the urgent need to introduce public safety measures and internal grievance mechanisms in all workplaces in the country,” it added.
On August 9, a 31-year-old doctor-in-training was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, sparking protests across India with demonstrators demanding justice for the victim.
Further protests are planned in the UK. A peaceful demonstration by British-Indian female doctors is planned for August 22 in Parliament Square in London near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
“We stand in solidarity with our brotherhood. Justice delayed is justice denied, that is the common refrain of the doctors who have contacted me from the UK, the US, Canada and the United Arab Emirates,” said Dr Dipti Jain, a National Health Service (NHS) geriatrician based in Brighton.
Jain is coordinating next week’s protest as head of the Pan UK South Asian Doctors and chairperson of the Medicos Women Charity, the PTI report said.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) appealed to all its members across India to join the strike until Sunday morning, August 18, as part of the ongoing protests in the country.
Meanwhile, reports from Delhi indicate that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is questioning the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for the second consecutive day as part of its investigation into the attack.
A day after the doctor’s body was discovered in the seminar hall on the hospital premises, a volunteer was arrested in connection with the horrific incident.
