India’s Supreme Court has instructed all doctors protesting the rape and murder of a female medic to return to work by Tuesday or face potential consequences.
The directive follows a nationwide strike by doctors demanding justice for the woman, whose body was discovered on August 9 in a classroom at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, where she was a trainee.
A police volunteer has been arrested for the crime, and last week federal police also detained the former principal of the medical college on corruption charges.
Doctors are demanding upgrades to government hospital facilities, pointing out issues with security and essential amenities.
On Monday, the Supreme Court stated that no penalties would be imposed on doctors who resume their duties by Tuesday evening.
“The resident doctors cannot be oblivious to the needs of the general community whom they are intended to serve,” Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, leading a three-judge panel, stated.
The court also instructed the West Bengal government to address doctors’ concerns by ensuring the provision of separate duty rooms and toilets for male and female staff, as well as installing CCTV cameras.
Protests over the attack extended internationally over the weekend, with thousands of Indian diaspora demonstrators rallying in over 130 cities across 25 countries, including Japan, Australia, Europe, and the U.S.
In response to the incident, the court, which initiated the case following widespread outrage, had previously established a hospital safety task force to propose measures for safeguarding medical staff.
Activists for women’s rights argue that the incident highlights the persistent issue of sexual violence in India, despite the introduction of tougher laws following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman in a Delhi bus.
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