Indian doctors in UK pen open letter to demand justice in Kolkata rape case

LONDON: A group of Indian doctors and medical students in the UK have issued an open letter this weekend demanding justice for the postgraduate trainee doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The letter condemns the "brutal rape and murder of an on-duty female doctor” at the hospital and the “inaction” of the West Bengal government in its response to the incident last week.

The letter follows a peaceful protest staged outside India House in London and similar gatherings in UK cities such as Edinburgh and Leeds in solidarity with the doctors protesting in India.

“This incident is a symptom of the rising violence against women and the negligence of the state towards its citizens,” reads the open letter.

“The absence of investment in public infrastructure and safety measures has a disproportionate impact on women, who are already marginalised by the patriarchal social conditions. Instead of supporting their empowerment by creating safe workplaces and efficient judicial mechanisms, government leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, have historically indulged in victim-blaming and misogynist responses,” it notes.

“The death of the female doctor at RG Kar Medical College is an indication of the urgent necessity to implement public safety measures and internal complaint mechanisms in all workplaces in the country,” it adds.

On August 9, a 31-year-old woman trainee doctor was raped and murdered at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, leading to protests across India where demonstrators demanded justice for the victim.

Further protests are planned in the UK, with a peaceful demonstration by British Indian women doctors at Parliament Square in London near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, scheduled for August 22.

“We stand in solidarity with our fraternity. Justice delayed is justice denied is the collective refrain of the doctors who have reached out to me from across the UK, US, Canada and the UAE,” said Dr Dipti Jain, a National Health Service (NHS) geriatrician based in Brighton.

Jain is coordinating next week's protest as Lead for the Pan UK South Asian Doctors and chair of the Medicos Women Charity.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) appealed to all its members across India to participate in the strike until Sunday morning as part of ongoing protests in the country.

Meanwhile, reports from Delhi reveal that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is questioning the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for the second day concerning its probe into the attack.

A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the horrific incident a day after the doctor's body was discovered at the seminar hall in the hospital premises.