Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder: 12-hour Bengal bandh call; CM Mamata Banerjee to lead protest

Kolkata is set to witness political protests and rallies on Friday, August 16, as the BJP’s women’s wing will hold a candlelight rally to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence demanding her resignation over the rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor and vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) has also called for a 12-hour general strike in West Bengal on August 16 in protest against the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital by a mob and demanding the arrest of all those involved in the rape and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee doctor in the medical establishment.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will also take to the streets on August 17, demanding capital punishment for the accused in the trainee doctor’s rape-murder case.

Mamata Banerjee has announced launching a protest to demand justice for the Kolkata trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at city’s RG Kar College and Hospital. The chief minister also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation, which took over the probe from the Kolkata Police, to “ensure justice within next Sunday”.

The Kolkata Metro Railway on Thursday announced it would run normal services on August 16 when a 12-hour general strike has been called by Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist).

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services from 6am on August 17 to protest against the incident and the subsequent vandalism at the RG Kar hospital on early Thursday morning.

Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder case:

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) has called for a 12-hour general strike in West Bengal on August 16 in protest against the vandalisation at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital by a mob and demanding the arrest of all those involved in the rape and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee doctor in the medical establishment.

Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha will organise silent candlelight march in all the district headquarters of West Bengal on Friday evening against the rape and murder of the woman doctor.

The march will be taken out outside RG Kar Medical College by the BJP Mahila Morcha under the leadership of National Mahila Morcha president Vanati Srinivasan along with National Office Bearer of Mahila Morcha and Rajya Sabha MP Darshan Singh, Sangeeta Yadav, Geeta Shakya and Indu Bala Goswami and West Bengal Incharge Pooja Kapil Mishra at 6pm on August 16.

The Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association has also called for a day-long cease-work on Friday to protest the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. In a statement, the association denounced any attempts to conceal evidence related to the rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor and demanded justice for the victim’s family.

In Delhi, the Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) will be holding a joint protest march on Friday from 2pm from the Nirman Bhavan in the National Capital. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) also held an emergency meeting to discuss the rape-murder incident on Thursday and the association has decided to hold a candle march at India Gate at 5pm on Friday.

In its official statement, IMA stated that routine OPDs and elective surgeries will not take place during those 24 hours; however, other essential services will be maintained.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) also announced a protest against the incident at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on August 16.

Meanwhile, people from the Bengali film and television industry have also joined hands with protesting doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, which led to nationwide strikes and protests by the medical fraternity.

The incident triggered massive protests. On Wednesday, the protest ground and the hospital campus at RG Kar hospital were vandalised by a mob, forcing the security personnel to disperse the crowd.