Indian police fired tear gas and water cannons on Tuesday as they clashed with thousands of protesters demanding justice for a doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata this month, Indian media reported.
The discovery of the bloodied body of the 31-year-old doctor at a government hospital in the eastern city has sparked anger across the country over the chronic problem of violence against women. Protests began immediately after the tragedy and were joined by thousands of health workers across the country. Demonstrators also trashed the emergency room at the hospital where the victim worked, demanding protection and a fair investigation.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Representatives of medical unions and also student organisations are participating in the demonstration. They shouted slogans and clashed with police who wielded batons in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
College student Namita Ghosh, who took part in the protest, told AFP that the crowd had intended to “peacefully protest” before the baton attack.
At least 100 protesters “have been arrested on charges of creating violence,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Protesters demand protection
Numerous protests in Kolkata sparked by the crime turned into unruly political rallies, with police clashing with demonstrators from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) angered by the state government.
Doctors’ associations in many cities went on strike in the wake of the killing and stopped non-essential services, but medics have since returned to work. One person has been detained in connection with the offence.
The heinous nature of the attack has prompted comparisons with the horrific gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in Delhi in 2012.
The incident sparked widespread outrage in a country where sexual violence against women is endemic, with an average of about 90 rapes a day in 2022 in a country of 1.4 billion people.
