Nationwide protests erupt over death of trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College

Protests have spread across India in response to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Medical organisations and doctors have called for demonstrations and service suspensions at multiple locations nationwide.

Starting August 16, the Resident Doctors Association at Government Medical College in Amritsar, Punjab, have suspended all non-essential and elective services, including outpatient departments, operating theatres, and wards. Protests have been held outside Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar.

In Kerala, the Kerala Medical Postgraduates Association (KMPGA), along with resident doctors' associations from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), and other medical institutions, has organised a 24-hour strike. This includes silent protests by undergraduate and postgraduate medical, dental, and paramedical students inside Nair Hospital, demanding safer environments in government medical facilities. Outpatient services have been halted.

Doctors at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, are protesting with black badges to condemn the doctor's death and call for enhanced security measures. Dr Aruleeswaran from the Trichy Doctors Association has urged the central government to ensure a thorough investigation and prompt punishment for the perpetrators.

Junior doctors and medical students at RML Hospital in Delhi also participated in protests. Further, a 12-hour general strike has been called in Siliguri by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), disrupting normal life in the city with many shops closed and vehicular movement restricted.

Dr Shahriar Alam of SUCI (Communist) reported that the strike has had a significant impact, with widespread public participation in response to the incident at RG Kar Medical College.