Protests grow in India over the rape and killing of a doctor at a state-run hospital

Richa Garg, a doctor who was part of the protests Friday in New Delhi, said she no longer felt safe at her workplace.

“As a woman, it boils my blood. The culprits of this crime should be found immediately … and our workplaces should be made safer,” she said.

On Wednesday night, the hospital where the trainee doctor was killed was attacked. Police did not identify who was behind the rampage, but said they have arrested 19 so far.

The Indian Medical Association, the country’s largest grouping of medics, called late Thursday for a “nationwide withdrawal of services,” except essential services, for 24 hours starting Saturday.

“Doctors, especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses,” the IMA said in a statement issued on the social media platform X.