Patients are being turned away from hospitals and clinics across India as more than a million doctors are set to join a strike in protest at the rape and murder of a trainee medic.
The 24-hour strike began at 6am local time (1.30am UK time) with non-emergency treatment such as outpatient appointments and elective procedures cancelled, said the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The mass walkout paralysed hospitals as staff from medical colleges were drafted in to help with emergency cases.
The strike was triggered by the killing of a 31-year-old trainee doctor, whose body was found on 9 August at the college where she worked in Kolkata.
A police volunteer was arrested but the victim’s family believe it was a gang rape and that more people were involved.
The case has drawn comparisons with the notorious rape and murder of a student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012.
People demonstrated near parliament in the capital on Friday – as well as cities including Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai – calling for tougher sentences and guarantees of safety for doctors.
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The facility where the doctor was killed, the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was attacked on Wednesday.
“Doctors, especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession,” said the IMA in a statement on X.
“It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses.”
Sexual violence against women and girls is a widespread problem in India with 31,516 reports of rape in 2022 – a 20% increase on 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Many are believed to go unreported due to a stigma over sexual assault and a lack of faith in the police.
The medical college case is being handled by India’s central bureau of investigation after state government officers were accused of mishandling the case.
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Medical students and the school’s principal have been questioned, according to a police source.
In a separate case, there have also been protests this week in the northern state of Uttarakhand after a 33-year-old nurse was raped and murdered in Rampur on 1 August.
Bollywood stars and other celebrities in India have joined the renewed call for tougher sentences.
“Monstrous behaviour against women should be severely and promptly punished,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on Thursday to mark Independence Day.
