Indian authorities announced Monday evening that they had dismissed the police chief of Calcutta, a month after the murder and rape of a young doctor in the megacity which sparked anger and indignation across the country.
Since the discovery on August 9 of the body of this 31-year-old woman in the public hospital where she was on duty, the capital of the state of West Bengal has been the daily scene of demonstrations against the scourge of sexual violence, endemic in India.
The protesters, including many doctors, nurses and health workers, are demanding protective measures from local authorities.
On Monday evening, after a meeting with young doctors, the head of the regional executive, Mamata Banerjee, announced the dismissal of the head of the Calcutta police and two senior local health officials.
“We have accepted the dismissal of the Director of Health Services and the Director of Medical Colleges,” Banerjee told reporters.
“Vineet Goyal, the Kolkata police chief, will also be sacked as demanded by the junior doctors,” she added.
A suspect has been arrested for the murder and rape of the doctor, but the attitude of the local authorities, in the hands of the opposition to Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the conduct of the investigation by the police have been strongly criticized.
Despite the authorities’ decisions, a spokeswoman for the young doctors, Aniket Mahato, announced that the protests would continue.
“We agree on a number of points, but disagreements persist on others,” she told AFP.
On Monday, thousands of people marched in Calcutta to demand justice for the young victim.
This double crime has revived in India the painful memory of the one suffered by a young woman on a bus in the capital New Delhi in 2012.
