British Indian female medics express solidarity with Kolkata rape-murder protests, demand justice for victim

There is an overwhelming outpouring of anger and grief as these Indian-origin doctors, many of whom have trained in India, demanded urgent action in the case of the alleged rape and murder of the young medico in Kolkata.

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The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor with severe injury marks was found on Friday inside the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s chest department. The preliminary autopsy report suggested she was subjected to violent sexual assault evoking widespread protests from medical and non-medical fraternities in that state and others.

A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the case amid widespread protests as junior doctors and healthcare workers in India express concerns over their safety and several of them in West Bengal continuing to cease work.

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Dr Dipti Jain, a National Health Service (NHS) geriatrician, based in Brighton, who trained as a medical graduate at a hospital in Kolkata, said she was horrified and inundated with messages from the medical fraternity since the incident last week.

“We have worked in those spaces fearlessly just 30 years ago, when the shield of the white clinical apron was like a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and everyone called us ‘Daktar Didi’. How did the attitudes change so drastically that no space is deemed safe for kids and women now?” said Jain.

She has been coordinating the messages from her Indian-origin colleagues from around the world, including from the US, Canada and UAE, as the Lead for the Pan UK South Asian Doctors and chair of the Medicos Women Charity.

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“We stand in solidarity with our fraternity. Justice delayed is justice denied is the collective refrain of us doctors,” she said.

Dr Gauri Batra, a Consultant Paediatric and Perinatal Pathologist based in Manchester, said: “We were once that hard-working young doctor trying to establish ourselves and further ourselves. But not at the cost of what one young doctor had to pay on that grim night … our feelings have no bounds, we weep at what is happening and on the eve of the 78th year of independence of our young and dynamic country.”

“How many nights I have spent in the hospital ‘alone’ while being on call or travelled home ‘alone’ in the deepest, darkest hours of the night but never felt unsafe. We need investment into changing the infrastructure to ensure workspace safety,” said Cambridge-based Dr Sonela Basak.

“Our doctor’s community in California stands resolutely against all forms of violence, and we are determined to honour the memory of our colleagues by fostering an environment of safety and support for everyone,” added Dr Salma Khan, based in the US.

“We will not rest until justice is served and our community is safe from such senseless violence,” Khan added.

Dr Jain said the outpouring of anger and grief has been overwhelming as these Indian-origin doctors, many of whom have trained in India, demanded urgent action in their messages.

After the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of the probe into the case from the Kolkata Police to the CBI on Tuesday, two officials of the central agency went to the Tala Police Station in Kolkata and took over the relevant documents.