Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets across India to protest the rape and murder of a 31-year-old female trainee doctor in the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India.

Doctors in India also held protests and candlelight marches as they demanded swift justice for their colleague, who was raped and murdered in the medical college where she worked.

Since the horrific incident which occurred in the early hours of Aug. 9, doctors across the country have held national strikes, refusing to attend to non-emergency patients.

We the Residents of AlIMS, New Delhi are deeply hurt, disgusted and heartbroken by the tragic incident, which has occurred at RG KAR MC, Kolkata in which a doctor on duty was brutally raped and murdered.#Nirbhaya #Nirbhaya2 #RGKarMedicalCollegeHospital #rgkarincident pic.twitter.com/PCI9cDa8gI

— Dr Yogesh Poonia 🇮🇳 (@drpooniaAiims) August 13, 2024

When half of India Is Sleeping.....

Women's in West Bengal at 11.55 protesting against brutal rape and murder of Doctor in Kolkata.#JusticeForMoumita pic.twitter.com/ihxrZ0vJi7

— Amit Thakur 🇮🇳 (@Amit_Thakur_BJP) August 14, 2024

Victim was taking a nap after working for nearly 20 hours

The victim, a 31-year-old trainee doctor, was found dead on Aug. 9, 2024, on a blood-soaked mattress in a seminar hall at R G Kar Medical College where she worked. Her body was found half-naked.

The young doctor had been taking a nap after working for nearly 20 hours out of a 36-hour shift, a staff from the medical college told Reuters.

A postmortem report cited by the Times of India said there were blood stains on her face and eyes.

There were also scratch marks on various parts of the body and bleeding from her private areas.

Initial reports claimed that 150mg of semen was found in her body. The police commissioner of West Bengal later said that the news was false.

The report found that the victim's mouth and throat were constantly pressed to prevent screaming. Her thyroid cartilage broke from the strangulation.

The postmortem report said her death was a result of smothering and throttling.

Call to shut down all services

Protests and demonstrations have disrupted the R G Kar Hospital for more than a week since the news broke.

Last Thursday (Aug. 15), the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on doctors across the country— an estimated figure of more than a million— to shut down all services except for emergency services for 24 hours from Saturday (Aug. 17) morning.

As of Sunday, Aug. 18, some of the country's junior doctors remained off the job as they demanded swift justice for the 31-year-old victim.

Civic volunteer arrested

The case has been transferred from local police to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after criticism over slow progress.

A civic volunteer who was working at the hospital has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder.

According to Times of India, the volunteer's DNA matched with the blood and skin found under the victim's fingernail.

Tougher sentences, but little has changed

The tragic case has resonated strongly with the Indian public, who have witnessed such crimes before.

India has introduced tougher sentences to the criminal justice system following the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in a moving bus in Delhi in 2012, but campaigners claim little has changed since.

In 2022, the country recorded an average of 90 reported rapes daily. Many perpetrators of sexual violence have not been held accountable.

In 2022, Prime Minister Modi's government authorised the release of 11 convicted rapists who were sentenced to life imprisonment after gang-raping a Muslim woman during communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. There were "celebrations" greeting the rapists upon their release.

The Indian Supreme Court later cancelled the release and sent the rapists back to jail following a public outcry.

Call on Modi to make sure hospital staff are well-protected

Following a 24-hour strike on Sunday, IMA in a letter reminded Modi that 60 per cent of doctors in India are women, and called for the Prime Minister to intervene and make sure hospital staff are well protected.

Meanwhile, Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)— the ruling party of West Bengal where Kolkata is located— of orchestrating the attack and called for their dismissal in West Bengal.

AITC denied the allegations and blamed "political" outsiders for contributing to the unrest.

Top image via @leenadhankhar/X and @Doctors__squad/X