Reverberations From Bengal To Kashmir

The otherwise quiet corridors of SKIMS Srinagar reverberated with shock and anger today as doctors and medical students raised their voices against the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor in India’s Kolkata.

The tragic death of the young doctor has shaken the medical fraternity across the country, with demands of justice and security to health professionals getting stronger.The protest on Saturday saw a huge participation by students and faculty members within the premises of SKIMS Srinagar.

The placards read, “Justice for Our Sister”, “Safety for Doctors”, and “End Violence Against Women”. The interns marched solemnly while raising slogans, demanding immediate action against the culprits.

A doctor at SKIMS Srinagar said, “We are here not as doctors but as human beings, pained to the core by the senseless violence that has taken the life of one of our own. This is not just an attack on a doctor; it is an attack on the dignity and safety of women everywhere. We demand that the authorities leave no stone unturned in bringing the culprits to justice.”

They have also raised the bigger issue of doctors’ safety, especially those who need to put in long hours at work in not-so-easy environments. “We are committed to saving lives, but we are always under the threat of violence, be it in hospitals or outside. This cannot continue. The government should come up with more stringent laws and a safe working environment for all health workers,’’ another doctor said.

Similar protests have erupted in different medical colleges and institutions in the country following the tragic incident in Kolkata. The IMA has called for nationwide solidarity and demanded that the government take urgent action to ensure doctors’ protection and a stringent punishment for the perpetrator of the crime.