KOLKATA, India — On August 27, police in Kolkata used teargas and water cannons to break up a large protest demanding the resignation of a top state minister following the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor. The demonstration, led by university students, breached barricades leading to the West Bengal state secretariat, prompting police to charge the crowd with batons and declare the protest illegal.

The August 9 assault on the 31-year-old doctor has sparked nationwide outrage, reminiscent of the widespread 2012 protests after the gang rape of a student in New Delhi. Activists argue that despite tougher laws, sexual violence against women remains prevalent.

A police volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime, and the federal police have taken over the investigation. Since the incident at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College, junior doctors across the country have staged protests and refused to see non-emergency patients, demanding justice and better safety measures for women in hospitals.

The Supreme Court has established a hospital safety task force and urged protesting doctors to resume their duties, but some, particularly in West Bengal, continue their strike. Over 5,000 police officers were deployed in Kolkata and neighboring Howrah to manage the protests, which also called for the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Kunal Ghosh, a spokesperson for Banerjee's Trinamool Congress Party, accused opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and their affiliates of creating chaos. The BJP has supported the student protests, with senior leader Suvendu Adhikari claiming that Banerjee's administration is trying to downplay the incident, a charge the state government denies.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters