The discovery on August 9 of the body of this 31-year-old doctor, raped and murdered in a public hospital in Calcutta, has fueled anger across the country.
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![A clash between police, citizens and students breaks out in Kolkata, India, on August 27, 2024. (DEBARCHAN CHATTERJEE / NURPHOTO / AFP)](https://www.francetvinfo.fr/pictures/bA5VGBAYcCvNn6JHcdwc25A3-Zs/0x106:1024x682/432x243/2024/08/28/075-chatterjee-notitle240827-npfq8-66cf2a225d128605184734.jpg)
Rival political factions have clashed. A demonstration of several thousand people in Kolkata against the murder and rape of a doctor in early August in India degenerated into a general brawl on Wednesday, August 28. Activists from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC), the party in power in the state, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to blows.
“We want justice”chanted BJP supporters, before demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the founder of the AITMC. “Get out! Get out!” AITMC supporters responded. Police then intervened between the rival factions, restoring an uneasy calm ahead of a rally by doctors in memory of their murdered colleague, scheduled for later in the day.
The discovery on August 9 of the body of the 31-year-old doctor who was raped and murdered in a government hospital in Kolkata has fueled anger across the country over the chronic scourge of violence against women. Mamata Banerjee has said she wants laws to be passed “anti-rape” to try and execute those guilty of sexual assault “within seven days of the crime”without giving further details. On average, nearly 90 rapes per day were reported in 2022 in this country of 1.4 billion inhabitants.