India’s top court creates task force on workplace safety after doctor was raped and killed

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court on Tuesday set up a national task force of doctors who will make recommendations on safety of healthcare workers at their workplaces, days after the rape and killing of a trainee doctor that sparked outrage and nationwide protests.

Doctors and medics across India have been holding protests, candlelight marches and even temporarily refused care for non-emergency patients since Aug. 9 when the killing in the eastern city of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state. The doctors say the assault highlights the vulnerability of health care workers in hospitals and medical campuses across India.

The rape and killing of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata city’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has also focused rage on the chronic issue of violence against women.

A police volunteer has been arrested and charged with the crime.

The Associated Press