R.G. Kar case: AIIMS doctors to protest at Jantar Mantar on 31 August

Doctors at the nation’s premier medical institute AIIMS-Delhi will hold a protest in the national capital on Saturday afternoon, 31 August, to seek justice for the victim at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal.

Vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) and a senior resident doctor at AIIMS-New Delhi, Dr Suvrankar Datta told the media that they were planning a peaceful protest.

"We are organising a large peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on 31 August to seek justice for our colleague at R.G. Kar Medical College in West Bengal,” Dr Suvrankar Datta was quoted as saying by media reports.

In the wake of repeated physical and sexual assaults on medical professionals, particularly women while on duty, the medical fraternity in the country is demanding that the Union government implement a nationwide protection Act for healthcare professionals to prevent violence against them.

Dr Suvrankar Datta said, “We call on the central government to implement a nationwide protection Act for healthcare professionals to prevent violence.”

The doctors are planning to gather at Jantar Mantar for the protest and have appealed to others from the medical community to join them in drawing the government’s attention to their plight and to seek justice for the R.G. Kar victim.

Dr Suvrankar Datta said, “Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on 5 September, I urge doctors to join us at Jantar Mantar from 3 pm to 5 pm on Saturday. We want to demonstrate our unity and demand increased security in hospitals across the country."

In the weeks after the heinous rape and murder in Kolkata, there were nationwide strikes and protests by doctors across the country and medical facilities were hit.

The striking doctors went back to work following an intervention by the Supreme Court of India on 22 August wherein the apex court asked them to join their duties while also assuring them that it would prevail upon authorities not to take adverse action against the striking doctors, who had been protesting over the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case.