Massive protest in Jammu over doctor’s rape-murder in Kolkata; regular work in hospitals affected

Jammu: Hundreds of resident doctors on Monday suspended their regular work and staged a peaceful rally here to lodge their protest against the recent rape and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata.

The protest coincided with the nationwide strike called by Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) against the sexual assault and murder of the trainee doctor whose body was found inside a seminar hall of the hospital on Friday morning.

Doctors wearing black armbands raised slogans calling for justice to the victim. They took out a rally from the Super Specialty Hospital holding placards, some of which read “we stand in solidarity with the victim", "no mercy for rapists" and "raise your voice before you become the next victim".

The doctors' strike affected the work in government medical college-associated hospitals but the emergency services continued without any disruption.

“I have not slept for the past two days after receiving this heart-wrenching news about the brutal rape and murder of the innocent doctor. We also work in night shifts and we do not feel safe given lack of proper security arrangements,” a woman doctor said.

She said the government should come out with a comprehensive security plan inside the emergency wards and elsewhere in the hospital to restore the shaken confidence of the doctors.

“Every now and then, we the doctors face unruly visitors and it is the duty of the government to ensure a safe environment for us as we spend more of our time inside the hospitals than our homes,” she said.

Anil Sharma, another doctor, said they are on the streets as part of the nationwide protest to press for the death penalty to the rapist.

“We are providing healthcare service to the people and we want our government to ensure our safety at the workplace,” he said.

Displaying a placard which read "hands that heal should not bleed", a doctor said they are facing safety concerns, especially during the night hours when there are no security guards around.