Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: 21 doctors booked for protesting outside Health Ministry

New Delhi: Following a demonstration outside Nirman Bhawan at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, around 21 doctors who participated in the protest against the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate medico at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata were booked by the police on charges of violating the prohibitory order. 

The Delhi police recently filed a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 143 Indian Penal Code (IPC) for unlawful assembly, violating a prohibitory order and Section 144 CrPC against the doctors reportedly triggered by the protest.

According to the police, a prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC was in place around Nirman Bhawan, near Maulana Azad Road. However, the police claimed that these doctors violated the order by protesting and raising slogans.  

Also read- RG Kar medico death case: West Bengal Junior doctors to continue protest despite SC appeal

As per a Millennium Post news report, these 21 doctors were from major hospitals like AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB), Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC). 

Taking the issue on popular social media platform 'X', Dr Dhruv Chauhan National Council Member IMA-JDN said, "On one Hand Supreme Court asks authorities to not take action against Doctors While on the other hand, FIR is registered against 21 doctors who were peacefully protesting at Nirman Bhawan in Delhi! Seems authorities wants doctors to run Parallel OPDs from jail."

Coming in support of the 21 resident doctors, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) in its official account posted, "We stand in solidarity with the 21 resident doctors who were unjustly charged while exercising their right to protest against the horrific crime at RG Kar Medical College. Legal assistance will be provided, and we demand that the FIR be quashed immediately."

On Wednesday, resident doctors staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, marking the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medico in a Kolkata hospital. They arrived at Jantar Mantar at 11 am for the protest, marking their second gathering there after Saturday.

Slogans such as, ‘Doshi ko saza do’ and ‘Shauk nahin, majboori hai; ye hadtal zaroori hai’ echoed at the protest site as major resident doctor associations gathered to demonstrate.

Speaking to PTI during the protest, a doctor said, “It’s very important to understand that we are fighting for better working conditions in our own workplace."

“Not just as a doctor, but as a woman, I often feel unsafe while working. I have to be extra careful during work and constantly think about my own safety, often carrying a key or something for protection,” Radhika Sharma, a doctor from Lady Hardinge Medical College, said.

“The situation is beyond us… It’s a mass movement and we need protection,” Sharma said, adding that this fight is very important for the doctors as they are fighting for better working conditions at their workplaces.

Another protesting doctor said, “We are thankful to the Supreme Court for recognising this as a national issue, but we are continuing the strike because we want this issue to reach a conclusion as soon as possible”.

“Safety should not just be an assurance; we want a protection act, and we want it from the central government,” the doctor said.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the half-naked body of the deceased RG Kar PG Respiratory Medicine medico was recovered from the seminar hall of the hospital on Friday morning. A preliminary autopsy report has indicated sexual abuse before she was killed. 

As per the inquest report, there was bleeding from the doctor's eyes and mouth, injury on the face and nails, bleeding from her genitals, and several other injury marks on different parts of her body. Soon after the news of this horrific incident came to light, doctors in Bengal and across the country started a massive protest demanding justice.

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