Mass protests in India after medical trainee found dead

Hundreds of thousands of doctors across India marched on Tuesday after a medical trainee was found dead at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata last week. The incident sparked demands for better security for health professionals and revived long-running concerns about gender-based violence and women's safety in India.

The story. The 31-year-old trainee was last seen retiring for a nap at 2 am on Friday after completing a 36-hour shift. Her body was discovered the following morning, unclothed and with injuries suggesting sexual assault. A "civic volunteer" with unauthorized access to the hospital was arrested as a suspect.

Indian health professionals, especially in government hospitals, have long complained about poor working conditions. A 2015 survey by the IMA showed 75% of doctors in India have faced workplace violence. Meanwhile, the 2022 NCRB report found an average of 90 rapes a day are reported in the country – almost certainly a vast undercount.

Leading medical workers associations called off a short-lived strike after meeting with Health Minister JP Nadda to press their demands for a transparent investigation, but they have pledged to continue agitating for better federal-level protections for medical staff. So far, PM Narendra Modi has not addressed the issue.