(KOLKATA, India) — Indian police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters in Kolkata, demanding the resignation of West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. The protesters accuse Banerjee of mishandling the investigation into the rape and killing of a resident doctor earlier this month.
The Aug. 9 killing of the 31-year-old physician while on duty at Kolkata city’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital sparked protests across India, highlighting the issue of violence against women in the country. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal state.
Protesters argue that the assault underscores the pervasive safety concerns for healthcare workers in hospitals throughout India.
Protesters affiliated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party attempted to break through the police barricade and march to Banerjee’s office, demanding her resignation. Modi’s party is the main opposition party in West Bengal. Police had prohibited the rally and blocked the roads.
Police officers wielding batons pushed back the demonstrators and unleashed tear gas and water cannons. Four student activists were apprehended before the rally, with police alleging they were attempting to instigate widespread violence.
India’s Supreme Court last week established a national task force of doctors to recommend measures for enhancing the safety of healthcare workers at their workplaces. The Supreme Court stated that the panel would formulate guidelines for the nationwide protection of medical professionals and healthcare workers.
An autopsy of the slain doctor later confirmed sexual assault, and a police volunteer was detained in connection with the crime. The victim’s family alleged that the incident was a gang rape involving multiple perpetrators.
Since then, growing anger has escalated into nationwide outrage and fueled protests against violence against women. The protests have also prompted thousands of doctors and paramedics to stage walkouts at public hospitals across India, demanding a safer working environment. These walkouts have impacted the care of thousands of patients across India.
Women in India continue to face escalating violence despite stringent laws enacted following the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in Delhi in 2012.
That attack had spurred lawmakers to impose harsher penalties for such crimes, establish fast-track courts dedicated to rape cases, and introduce the death penalty for repeat offenders.