Page 13 - Kolkata

Indian doctors in UK demand justice for Kolkata rape victim in open letter

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 workplac

Health ministry assures safety measures for doctors amid security concerns

Kolkata rape-murder case: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has started a 24-hour nation-wide strike and said all essential services would continue and casualties would be attended to as usual

Doctors go on 24-hour nation-wide strike, IMA seeks 'airport-like' security

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said all essential services would continue and casualties would be attended to as usual

Watch: Inside Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital after mob vandalism #kolkatadoctor #kolkatadoctormurder

Mamata should avoid doing politics over doctor's rape-murder: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himant Biswa Sarma on Friday lashed out at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, asking her to "stop indulging in politics" over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Sarma's assertion while speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of a BJP meeting came in response to Banerjee accusing the opposition parties in West Bengal of being behind vandalism at the hospital in north Kolkata on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. "The incident that happened in Kolkata is very sad and the people of West Bengal and the entire country are in a state of shock. Mamata didi should avoid doing politics over the matter. She should focus on finding out who was behind the incident and fixing the accountability," Sarma said while replying to a query on Banerjee's allegations. "If you (Mamata Banerjee) do politics even after such a tragic incident, I believe this is very wrong. In such a time accusing others is

'Declare hospitals as safe zones, give compensation to victim's family'

All hospitals across the country should be declared safe zones like airports so that doctors can work without fear, Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr R V Asokan said on Friday. This is one of the five demands of the IMA, which has declared a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services (from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday) to protest against the alleged rape and killing of a trainee woman doctor and vandalism at a state-run medical college in Kolkata. "Airports are safe zones with a three-layer security, so at least in major hospitals, there has to be a security protocol and they should be declared as safe zones as that will entitle them for a mandatory security protocol," Asokan told PTI. Secondly, there should be a central law to check violence on healthcare workers, he said. Asokan said 25 states have laws against attacks on doctors and hospitals but there have been no convictions so far. These laws are mostly ineffective on the ground and do not .

Kolkata woman rape-murder: Punjab doctors suspend OPD services in protest

The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association on Friday suspended outpatient department (OPD) services at public health-care centres in the state to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. We are demanding expeditious justice for the victim, central protection act for healthcare professionals and adequate security arrangements at public healthcare facilities, said Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) president Dr Akhil Sarin. The emergency and medico-legal services remained functional during Friday's protest, he added. Dr Sarin said the OPD services remained suspended in the health centres, including Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, civil hospitals and health centres at sub-divisional level. Meanwhile, the medical professionals in the state held sit-ins at the health centres demanding expeditious justice for the victim.

CM Mamata leads Kolkata protest rally, demands justice for woman doctor

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday led a protest rally from Moulali to Dorina crossing in Kolkata, demanding justice for a woman doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered at a state-run hospital last week. TMC activists, who accompanied Banerjee, shouted slogans for capital punishment for the accused, a demand that the chief minister has already made. The woman post-graduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered in the seminar room of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime the next day. A group of around 40 people entered the hospital and vandalised the emergency department, nursing unit and medicine store in the early hours of Thursday. The mob also damaged CCTV cameras at the state-run health facility and ransacked a stage where junior doctors had been demonstrating against the alleged rape and murder of the woman doctor there and demanding security at their workplace.

Kolkata doc rape-murder: Akhilesh accuses BJP of making political benefits

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed the BJP and accused them of making "political benefits" from the Kolkata medic's rape and murder case. While answering a question regarding the incident, Yadav said, "Any incident with a woman across the country is sad. Action should be taken against it. Mamata Banerjee is a female chief minister, and she will take action. But these people of BJP are doing politics." "BJP has a talent for doing politics on every incident. BJP has the talent of taking political benefit over every incident and dishonouring others," he added. Before interacting with the media, Akhilesh Yadav offered flowers on the statue of freedom fighter Maharani Avantibai Lodhi here to mark her birth anniversary. The statue is located right outside the gate of BJP's state headquarters in Lucknow. Answering a question about the upcoming by-election in UP, Yadav said, "Whenever by-elections will come, the public will defeat the BJP." By-elections are to be h

Kolkata doc rape-murder: Pradhan attacks Mamata, says no room for politics

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for accusing the opposition parties of being behind the vandalism at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital saying that there can be "no room for politics" on the rape and murder of the junior doctor. Pradhan alleged that Banerjee's attempt to cover up, stifle dissent and shield perpetrators raises serious questions. "There has been complete systemic failure in West Bengal time and again. But the blame lies on 'Bam and Ram'. Absolutely disgusting, shameful and reprehensible statement from Mamata Didi. The day is not far when Mamata Didi will even blame aliens and extraterrestrials for her misrule," Pradhan wrote in a post on X. "With appeasement politics as her fulcrum of politics, Mamata Didi still has to take refuge of Lord Ram to cover her abysmal failures. Justice needs to be delivered and perpetrators need to be dealt with the harshest punishment. There can be no room for ...

Centre issues '6-hour FIR' order over violence against health workers

Centre's order came amid massive protests in India, calling for justice in the rape-murder of the 31-year-old junior doctor, whose body was found at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last

RG Kar Hospital vandalism: HC fumes at Mamata govt; CBI to probe mob attack

Kolkata doctor's death: The court criticised the Mamata Banerjee government, questioning how a mob of 7,000 could breach the RG Kar Hospital on August 15 without it being a state failure

Kolkata rape-murder update: Mamata blames Oppn for unrest; protests today

Kolkata rape-murder: Major protests planned today by political parties TMC, BJP, and CPM, as well as the Indian Medical Association (IMA)

CBI takeover shouldn't lead to rape-murder case being buried: Derek O'Brien

The public outrage over the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor in Kolkata is understandable but the CBI taking over the case shouldn't lead to it "being quietly buried", Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said on Friday. "It is hard to conceive of a more bestial, heinous crime than the murder and rape of a young woman that took place in Kolkata. The public outrage is entirely understandable. Thoughts and prayers with her family," the Rajya Sabha MP said in a post on X. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a rally over the incident at 4 pm on Friday, demanding that the CBI should give daily updates on the investigation, and that the probe should be completed before August 17. Explaining the reason, Banerjee was holding the rally, O'Brien posted, CBI, which is now handling the case, must give daily updates on the investigation... The deadline given by the CM to Kolkata Police to complete the investigation was August 17. The same must apply to ...

CBI summons 4 doctors of RG Kar College as nationwide protests continue

According to the sources, the CBI will interrogate these PGT (PG trainees) regarding what happened the night of the incident

Kolkata rape-murder: Over 1,000 Goa doctors to keep OPDs shut for a day

More than 1,000 doctors at private and government hospitals in Goa will stay away from attending outpatient department (OPD) services for 24 hours from August 17 morning to protest the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee physician in Kolkata and seek speedy justice for her, it was announced on Thursday. Indian Medical Association (Goa Branch) president Dr Sandesh Chodankar told PTI that there will be shutdown of OPD services in private and government medical establishments in the state from 6 am on August 17 to 6 am on August 18. The OPD closure decision was part of the nationwide strike call given by the IMA to denounce the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the West Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week. The Goa IMA functionary said more than 1,000 doctors will be on strike during this period and discussions are also being held with the support staff at hospitals to join the state-wide protest. Chodankar said the Goa unit of ..

New updates: IMA announces nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors on August 17

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IMA announces nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors on August 17

In response to the brutal crime at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Indian Medical Association has announced a nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors for 24 hours on Aug 17

RG Kar hospital vandalism: 'May take weeks to restore earlier look'

Rooms and spaces housing 18 departments have been vandalised by a mob in state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and it may take weeks for restoration, a senior official of the health department said on Thursday. Massive vandalism was witnessed in the emergency, staffers' room, changing room for nurses and medicine store in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, he said, adding almost all the CCTV cameras were also broken. A portion of the seminar hall, where a woman doctor was allegedly raped and murdered, was also vandalised and doors were damaged, he said. A group of around 40 people entered the hospital and vandalised the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store, while also damaging CCTV cameras and ransacking a stage where junior doctors had been demonstrating since August 9 protesting the alleged rape and murder of the woman postgraduate trainee there and demanding security at their workplace. "Massive destruction was carried out by these ...

Kolkata medic rape-murder: FORDA resumes strike after facing backlash

A resident doctors' federation on Thursday announced to continue its protest here over the alleged rape-murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, a day after medics slammed it for calling off the agitation following the health ministry's "verbal" assurance to meet its demands, including bringing a law to curb attacks on medical personnel. Resident doctors across major government hospitals in Delhi, including AIIMS, VMMC-Safdarjung Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, shut down elective services on Monday morning and went on strike, demanding better security and safety measures for medical personnel, and the central law. The announcement by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA) came after Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs) of many hospitals on Wednesday accused it of taking the decision to end the protest without consulting them and "backstabbing" the medical fraternity. FORDA members met Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Tuesday night and submitted a letter o