While it has been well over a week since the alleged gruesome rape and murder of a second-year postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital of Kolkata, West Bengal, protests from the medical community show no signs of stopping, as medicos continue to demand justice.
Associations like the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), All India Medical Students’ Association (AIMSA), United Doctors’ Front Association (UDFA), Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), and others have called for a strike of all medical services apart from emergency services, in response to the incident.
These associations were also joined by Resident Doctors’ Associations from several states and medical colleges such as Ramaiah Medical College in Karnataka, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital in New Delhi, and more.
The protesting doctors also received support from overseas, with a group of Indian doctors from the United Kingdom (UK) issuing an open letter condemning the "brutal rape and murder of an on-duty female doctor” at RG Kar, and students from Dhaka University staging a protest to express their solidarity today, August 17. Even the Pakistan Medical Association issued a statement in support of the protesting doctors and medical associations.
What’s extremely striking and evident is the solidarity of the entire medical fraternity in India, and the support they are garnering — which is a significant step in the doctors’ fight towards gaining legal protections and Parliamentary safeguards against workplace violence.
As a result, we wonder — what changed this time? Will this national mobilisation inspire change?
“Crime too abhorrent to stay quiet”
One of the biggest reasons for such widespread agitation from doctors against the RG Kar incident is the nature of the crime itself.
“Medical professionals indeed experience violence on a day-to-day basis from patients’ families and relatives, but the incident at RG Kar is not an instance of that. The victim here was brutally raped and murdered,” says Dr Pratibha Laxmi, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad.
“The scale of violence can be compared to the Nirbhaya incident and the Disha case from 2019,” she adds.
The fact that the deceased PGT doctor was subject to these horrors at her place of work is even more staggering, says Dr Vasundhara Pawar, National Vice-President of AIMSA-Foreign Medical Students’ Wing.
“For a doctor, a hospital is supposed to be a sanctuary and a safe space. We consider our workplace a second home. How traumatising would it be if something like this happened in our own home? If this happened to one, we are afraid that this could happen to any doctor working in any hospital,” she says.
She adds, “Our parents now believe that hospitals are unsafe for us. They are asking us to work outside India.”
The fact that this incident is an irredeemable act of violence against a woman is the reason for such widespread anger among doctors, says Dr Sharad Agarwal, President of IMA.
“Yes, the incident at RG Kar is certainly an attack on a doctor — one of us. We have been relatively tolerant of all kinds of attacks on healthcare workers until now. However, the nature of the violence perpetrated against the RG Kar PGT doctor has been the last straw. We’ve decided that enough is enough,” he explains.
Dr Agarwal further laments that such incidents are still commonplace in a country where “women are worshipped as deities”.
“Gov’t response to protests further led to outrage”
According to doctors, what is even more infuriating is how the West Bengal State Government handled the protests, and how the Central Government treats the issue of healthcare workers’ safety.
When netizens took to social media to condemn the incident and demand accountability from the West Bengal Government, many of them were allegedly sent legal notices by the State police for their posts.
After the “Reclaim the Night” protest on the midnight of August 15, India’s 77th Independence Day at RG Kar turned violent after being disrupted and vandalised by a mob of 40 men, the West Bengal police allegedly detained peaceful protestors.
Moreover, the West Bengal government transferred 42 professors and doctors working in various government colleges and hospitals in the state, and two of these individuals took part in the protests against the incident, a transfer order it later stuck down.
Questions have also been raised on the West Bengal police’s investigation of the incident — particularly on why the deceased's parents were not allowed to see her body, and why they were told that the cause of death was a suicide.
The state government was also accused of trying to cover up the case in cohorts with the state police and hospital administration.
Yesterday, August 16, the Calcutta High Court slammed the West Bengal Government, RG Kar’s administration and the state police for their conduct in the case, and transferred it to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“While we withdrew our strike initially, we resumed it after these developments, particularly the attack on the protestors at RG Kar,” says Dr Meet Ghonia, National Secretary of FORDA.
FORDA, which called for a nationwide strike following the incident, withdrew its strike after a meeting with Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda, where the latter assured them that a Central Healthcare Protection Act, one of the main demands of the protesting associations, would be introduced soon.
However, the association announced on August 15 that their strike would resume following the violence at the RG Kar protests.
“The minister has only given us verbal assurances. Every time we approached the National Medical Commission (NMC) or the Ministry of Health on the issue of violence against healthcare workers, we were only given verbal assurances. Nothing changes on the ground,” Dr Ghonia says.
“How can we call ourselves a democracy when we are denied our basic safety and are suppressed when we ask for our rights?” Dr Pawar further questions.
“Doctors’ solidarity welcome, but not enough”
Despite clamp down and violence of protests from the West Bengal government and apathy from the Central government, the biggest reason for the endurance of the protests is the solidarity among various medical organisations.
“Healthcare workers and medical organisations have become more united post-COVID, and are actively working with each other. We also have a platform to voice our concerns,” says Dr Pawar.
Adding to this, Dr Lakshya Mittal, President of UDFA says, “In addition to medical associations and RDAs, we also saw staff from rural healthcare centres join the strike. Nurses and other medical workers were also a part of the protests. Everyone from medical students to surgeons is standing united,” adding that this solidarity is “beautiful” to witness.
However, he adds that it is disheartening to see only medicos protesting. “If you ignore the fact that the incident is an attack on a doctor, it is, at its core, an act of sexual violence against a woman. We need women’s rights organisations to support us,” he says.
Even after 12 years of the Nirbhaya incident, India is stuck in the same place in terms of violence against women, Dr Mittal Laments.
“Civil Society organisations and the general public must also join in to raise their voice against this incident,” says Dr Pratibha.
Many student unions and organisations, particularly the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), the All India Students’ Association (AISA), the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Disha Students’ Organisation and Naujawan Bharat Sabha also staged protests against the incident.
“With student power, the movement will become a force to reckon with,” Dr Pratibha adds.
“Will continue to exert pressure”
The striking medical associations declare that they will continue their protests until their demands are met, and justice is served for Dr Moumita and her family.
The collective demands of the associations are as follows:
A Central Act incorporating the amendments of 2020 in the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the draft The Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property Bill 2019) to protect healthcare workers
Tight security protocols in hospitals and teaching colleges including declaration of hospitals as safe zones, CCTVs, deployment of armed security personnel and more
Reduction of the shift duty timings and provisions for safe resting areas
Impartial and meticulous investigation of the crime and speedy delivery of justice
Appropriate compensation to the victim’s family
“Our unity and pressure against the government are clearly working, as the Calcutta High Court took suo motu cognisance of the issue and transferred the case to the CBI only upon widespread agitation,” says Dr Ghonia.
Dr Lakshya Mittal adds that the strikes will continue until the Central Act to protect all healthcare workers, including doctors, interns, nurses, and other auxiliary staff is tabled in the Parliament, and a proper investigation is conducted into the incident.
