Protests Intensify in India over Doctor's Rape and Murder

Following the vandalisation of a hospital by a mob, where a female trainee doctor was raped and murdered in West Bengal state, protests have continued to intensify in India.

The hospital was attacked on Wednesday during the massive Reclaim the Night march held in Kolkata city to protest against the brutal crime.

Smaller protests were also held in many other Indian cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which serves as the country's largest grouping of doctors, has announced a nationwide strike of non-emergency services on Saturday.

The association of doctors in other cities and political parties in West Bengal have also slated marches for today and over the weekend to protest against the attack.

Tens of thousands of women across the state participated in the Reclaim the Night march on Wednesday night to demand "independence to live in freedom and without fear".

Though the protests were largely peaceful, clashes erupted between the police and a small group of unidentified men who barged into the RG Kar Hospital - the site of the crime - and ransacked its emergency ward.

Protesters noted that some doctors and hospital staff were injured in the attack. Some police vehicles were also damaged in the chaos and tear gas had to be used to disperse the crowd.

So far, the Kolkata police have arrested 19 people in connection with the incident.

The rape of the 31-year-old female trainee doctor sent shocks across the country.

Her half-naked body bearing extensive injuries was discovered in a seminar hall last week. A hospital volunteer who worked at the hospital has been arrested in connection with the crime.

Since then, two more incidents of rape have made headlines in India.

In the northern state of Uttarakhand, a nurse was allegedly raped and killed while returning home from work. She had gone missing at the end of July and her body was found last week. Police have arrested a man from the western state of Rajasthan in connection with the crime.

Meanwhile, six people have been arrested in the northern state of Bihar for the alleged gang-rape and murder of a six-year-old Dalit girl. Her mutilated body was found near a pond in a village in Muzaffarpur district on Tuesday morning.

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