Askume, Sep 8 – Thousands of overseas Indians protested in more than 130 cities across 25 countries on Sunday demanding justice after a woman was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital last month . Intern doctor
Protests large and small began in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and Singapore, then spread to cities in Europe and the United States.
They are also involved in the ongoing nationwide protests in India following the murder of a 31-year-old thoracic graduate student on August 9. A suspect was arrested along with the former principal of RG Kar Medical College where the victim studied .
Deepti Jain, organiser of the global protest, said: “The news of the heinous crime committed against a young trainee doctor has shocked us all, and we are all stunned by the brutality, cruelty and disregard for human life.
After a 36-hour marathon shift, the doctor fell asleep on a carpet in the seminar room as she had no hostel or room to rest. She was later found bleeding from her eyes and mouth and had injuries on her legs, stomach, ankle, right hand and fingers, according to a doctor’s examination report obtained by Askume.
Hundreds of protesters have gathered in several cities across the Gulf region demanding accountability for the crimes and safety for Indian women.
In Dublin, California, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of San Francisco, protesters formed a human chain, chanted slogans and waved placards that read “We demand justice” and “Shout loud, shout far, do justice.”
People of different age groups including small children and the elderly recite poems and participate in street plays.
Doctor Sukalpa Choudhury, 39, who took part in the Dublin protest, said: “Although we want women to be safe, this is about the safety of everyone in the workplace.”
“How will our children and grandchildren go to the same institution, feel safe, get a good education and serve society? This is a question that concerns everybody.”
In another protest in the Swedish capital Stockholm, mostly women dressed in black gathered at Seger Square, singing songs in Bengali and holding placards.
Although tougher laws were enacted after the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in 2012 , activists say the Kolkata case shows how women can suffer sexual violence.
India’s federal police are investigating the crime, but charges have not yet been filed. Last month, the country’s Supreme CourtA Hospital Safety Working Group was established to recommend measures to ensure the safety of health care workers .
