Doctors in India continue strike to protest against the rape

Public hospitals across India were turning away all but emergency patients Monday as thousands of doctors continued refusing to work as part of a national strike that began Saturday over the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor.

Medics have demanded safer workplaces and swift legal action following the rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on Aug. 9 sparking a wave of protests over violence against women.

“Our indefinite cease-work and sit-in will continue till our demands are met,” vowed Dr. Aniket Mahata, a spokesperson for striking junior doctors at the R.G. Kar facility.

The government has promised to establish a committee to suggest ways to improve safety for doctors, and urged them to return to work, but the medics have not been convinced by the promise of action. The strikes started in Kolkata and spread quickly to other cities and states last week, becoming a national action on Saturday after it was backed by the Indian Medical Association.

Supporters of the two biggest soccer clubs in West Bengal state, where Kolkata is located, put aside their arch rivalry to march on the city’s streets Sunday evening, demanding justice for the victim and safety for doctors.

Doctors in India’s capital Delhi and in Odisha state have also vowed to continue their strike until their demands for immediate changes are met