Protests Erupt Across India Over Doctor's Brutal Rape, Murder

 

Women across India have hit the streets in large numbers to show support and protest over the gang rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor and the continued call for public accountability for the brutal act.

Protests Spread Across the Country: A Call for Women's Empowerment

From Kolkata to Delhi, women took to street marches with fanned candle flames and posters with the slogan "Reclaim the Night." Involved in the incident last week was the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. The untimely demise of the event was expressive in the outpouring of sorrow and anger around medical professionals. Protests not only for the cause of the illness and later death of their colleague but for a change in systemic order with proper safety and order at work have led junior doctors in major parts of India to a shutdown of hospital services.

The protests have been significant enough to affect hospital services. The majority of government hospitals have either withdrawn services or reduced them to bare emergency departments as junior doctors protest outside, demanding systemic changes so that members of their fraternity, as well as patients, feel safe.

Prime Minister Modi's Response

On India's 78th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his national address, took cognizance of the rising outrage in the nation. Modi said he feels a great deal of pain on the issue of violence against women and underscored the need to ensure stringent punishment for the heinous crime. "As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being being committed against our mothers, daughters, and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage," Modi stated.

Echoes of the 2012 Delhi Gang Rape

The current protests have evoked painful memories of the 2012 Delhi gang rape, which also shook national and international conscience. In that case, a student of 23 years was brutishly assaulted in a moving bus that caused her death ultimately. Keeping in mind that the anchor between both cases is the grave and grim problem in the Indian society, so something genuine and long-lasting should be taken up fast.

A Way Forward

The increase in intensity seems to mirror an increasing call for a reformed system in dealing with crimes against women. The intensity of the protest on Saturday marks the growing demand for systemic change dealing with crimes against women, with demands having gained great steam before the recent tragedy, knowledgeable and activists allege, as every nook and corner of the country has shown that they stand with the family and have called for justice. It's pretty clear—the battle for the safety and justice of women is long and far from over; in all likelihood, the voices demanding change will become louder until meaningful reforms are brought about.

We need protesters who show courage and resolution during these hard times in order to remind all of us that change in society has become too long overdue. It is hoped that this collective cry might usher in a time with better protection for women and a society that is just and equitable.