Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) staged a protest in the hospital premises on Friday, August 16 showing their solidarity with the rape case at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Around 400 doctors from GMCH staged a protest on Friday morning, expressing their deep outrage and grief over the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The protest began in the morning as doctors, including senior residents, junior residents, and interns, gathered in solidarity. They held placards and raised slogans, demanding justice for their colleague from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Demanding quick justice for the victim, as well as justice for atrocities against healthcare workers, they also staged a candlelight march at 6 PM near the GMCH campus.
Speaking to GPlus, a practising doctor at GMCH said, “Justice delayed is justice denied. Through our protest, we want the authorities to speed up their investigation and bring the culprits to light at the earliest. We condemn any kind of injustice towards women or any healthcare worker.”
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The Students of B. Borooah College arranged a Shraddhanjali program to pay tribute to the victim. The program was led by B Borooah College Students' Union's President and Asstt. General Secretary in presence of college students.
The students of Gauhati Commerce College paid their tribute to the victim by paying her homage on August 15 and demanding justice for her.
The students of K.C. Das Commerce College staged a candlelight protest near their college to show their solidarity and demanding quick justice for the victim.
More than 250 students of Assam Engineering College (AEC) also took out a candlelight march in Guwahati on Thursday, August 15 in solidarity with the rape case at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The Junior Doctors Association of GMCH released a press statement, declaring their decision to halt all non-emergency services starting from 8 AM on Friday, August 16. "The attack on the doctors of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and the destruction of the hospital premises is a totally unacceptable act and signifies the failure of the administration," the statement read.
Despite the strike, the association assured that emergency services at GMCH would remain functional.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest organisation of medical staffs in the country, has announced a nationwide strike starting Saturday morning, August 17. This strike, expected to be the largest in over a decade, will close most hospital departments, but the emergency services will still be functional.
The strikes, protests and candlelight marches emphasised that their protest is not just a response to the tragedy in Kolkata but also a stand against the increasing violence faced by healthcare professionals across India.
The victim, a junior trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical Hospital and College was raped and murdered on August 9 while on duty, when she went to the seminar hall of the college to take rest. Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, and the prime accused at the hospital, has been arrested with many new reports rising to the surface.
The case has brought medical services to a standstill as students and doctors continue to demand justice for the resident PG doctor.
Many reports now have arisen with the case pointing to the involvement of multiple people in the rape and the murder of the victim.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 14, took over the investigation from Kolkata Police as per the directions of Calcutta High Court.
