R.G. Kar: Resident doctors in Delhi protest outside Banga Bhawan

The resident doctors held a protest outside the Banga Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, 16 October, holding posters and banners to demand swift justice for a trainee doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar hospital who was raped and killed on 9 August.

The doctors held a protest around 6 pm, holding banners that read, "In service of others, she gave her life."

The Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of AIIMS, along with other Delhi RDAs, held a candlelight protest at Banga Bhawan, demanding justice for their colleague and extending support to protesting medics in Kolkata.

"We stand in unity with our colleagues on hunger strike in Kolkata and urge immediate action from the authorities to ensure justice and safety," said Raghunandan Dixit, general secretary of RDA AIIMS.

Another protester added, "We have high hopes from the Supreme Court of India, and we request all authorities and the government to be sensitive to this matter and show urgency in delivering justice to the daughter of the nation '”Abhaya."

The protest was announced by the Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee late on Tuesday night.

Resident doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College and other city hospitals joined the demonstration.

The protest is part of a wider movement that began on 12 August with a pan-India strike against the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and lasted until 22 August. It was temporarily suspended after assurances from the Supreme Court that justice would be expedited, a statement said.

However, the investigation has "stalled" with no action taken report (ATR) shared publicly, as was highlighted during a recent Supreme Court hearing, it said.

The case has brought the issue of healthcare worker safety, especially for female doctors, to the forefront, the RDA said.

"We suspended our strike in good faith, trusting the process, but now we feel betrayed," a representative of the Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee said.

"The lack of communication and delayed action shows an alarming lack of sensitivity toward our safety concerns," the representative said.

During a hearing on August 20, the Supreme Court established a National Task Force (NTF) to address safety concerns, with an interim report expected within three weeks and a final report within two months.

Over 50 days have since passed without any report, prompting outrage among resident doctors who feel their concerns are being ignored, the statement said. It claimed the West Bengal government has failed to reassure the agitating junior doctors, many of whom are on a hunger strike.

The junior doctors of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have been protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a colleague on 9 August. The incident took place when the trainee doctor had gone to sleep in the hospital's seminar room during a break.

The junior doctors went on "cease work" following the incident. They ended their stir after 42 days on 21 September following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.

However, they began a hunger strike at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata on 5 October, claiming that the government did not fulfil their demands.

Some of the demands of the protesters are justice for their colleague, immediate removal of health secretary N.S. Nigam, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at their workplaces.