On Friday ( Aug 16 ), as medical professionals called for the largest shutdown of hospital services in recent times and political parties geared up for protests, the anger over the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in eastern India showed no signs of dying.
A 31-year-old apprentice doctor was sexually assaulted and murdered last year inside a medical school where she worked in Kolkata, causing widespread outcry from doctors and drawing similarities to the infamous gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old learner on a moving vehicle in New Delhi in 2012.
Late on Thursday, the Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest gathering of physicians, said it would adopt a global closure of most departments, except important services, for 24 hours from Saturday night, the largest such attack in at least a century.
” Physicians, especially women are prone to crime because of the nature of the job. The IMA stated in a statement released on X late on Thursday night that it is for the authorities to ensure the safety of physicians inside hospitals and schools.