Kolkata Doctors Resume Emergency Services Today. What's Next

Kolkata: Junior doctors, who have been protesting against the rape and murder of a medical trainee at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, have called off their strike partially and will resume emergency services starting Saturday.

However, the protest of doctors is far from over. The doctors have decided not to provide services to outpatient departments (OPDs) in government hospitals across the city, continuing their dharna to demand justice for the victim.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front announced that they will be withdrawing their sit-in protest outside Kolkata’s Swasthya Bhavan, but plan to march to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in the city to escalate their demands for justice of the victim. 

In a press statement, the protesting doctors declared they had ‘achieved initial success’ concerning their five demands for justice in the case of Abhaya, whose murder ignited the protests and outrage across the country. 

"Thanks to our movement, we have managed to halt the vicious conspiracy to cover up the crime and the malicious efforts to derail the investigation. Under pressure from our sustained protests, the government met most of our second and third demands during a meeting on the 16th, which led to the removal of the Commissioner of Kolkata Police, the Deputy Commissioner (North), and the Director of Medical Education (DME) from their respective posts," the statement read.  

Torch Rally for Abhaya's Justice

Thousands of people from all sections of society took part in a torch rally from Highland Park in the southern fringes of the city on Friday, demanding justice for the trainee woman doctor who was raped and murdered in state-run RG Kar hospital last month.

Doctors, members of voluntary bodies and associations of specially-abled people, cartoonists, IT professionals, scientists and professors participated in the 42-km foot march that began at 4 pm and culminated near Shyambazar around midnight, covering the northern and southern parts of city.

The rallyists held flaming torches in hand and shouted slogans in solidarity with the postgraduate trainee, whose body was found with severe injuries in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9.

All About Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case

On August 9, the body of the 31-year-old medic was discovered in a semi-naked state in the seminar hall of the hospital.

Autopsy reports reveal that the victim was sexually assaulted and then murdered. Her neck was broken, and she suffered severe injuries, with multiple body parts, including her private areas, bleeding.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic worker, has been arrested in the crime. Roy has confessed to the crime but reportedly shows no remorse, according to local media.
In response to the widespread outrage, the Calcutta High Court transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 13, amid a nationwide call for justice.