Thousands of women marched through major Indian cities overnight, demanding justice and stronger legal measures following the harrowing rape and murder of a young doctor.
Police said she had been raped and murdered and a police volunteer was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the growing unrest, has called for stringent punishment for those convicted of crimes against women.
Reuters reports that women across India, including in Kolkata, have held marches with candles and posters reading “Reclaim the Night” in response to the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor. This tragedy has spurred fellow medics to protest for safer working conditions.
Earlier this week, many government hospitals across India suspended all non-emergency services as junior doctors demonstrated outside, demanding justice for the victim.
In a national address on India’s 78th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi stated, “As a society, we need to reflect on the atrocities against our mothers, daughters, and sisters. There is widespread outrage, and I can sense it.”
The case echoes a similar incident in New Delhi in 2012, when a 23-year-old student was brutally raped and killed by a gang in a moving bus, an event that sparked major public outcry.
Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, with over 85 million Instagram followers, commented, “This horrific incident has again highlighted the disproportionate burden women face in ensuring their own safety.”
Doctors in India’s often overcrowded and inadequate government hospitals have long reported being overworked and underpaid, with insufficient measures to protect them from violence due to dissatisfaction with medical care.
