Doctors at medical college hospitals across the city are voicing concern about campus security following the rape and murder of a doctor at a Kolkata hospital last Friday. The incident has spread a sense of fear among resident doctors, particularly those on night duty, leading to urgent demands for improved safety measures. “Hospital authorities must ensure that all security cameras are operational and streetlights are functioning,” said Dr Trisha Shrivastava, an OBGYN resident. “At JJ Hospital, a 200-metre walk from Hostel No 300 to the Balaram building is pitch dark at night. I’ve done night shifts there, and even that brief walk has been terrifying.”

KEM Hospital has experienced the dangers first-hand. A super-speciality resident was harassed while navigating a similarly short but poorly lit stretch from the UG-PG hostel to the new building housing the OBGYN department. “After the incident, we made sure by constantly following up with the authorities that certain spots that become dark late at night are properly lit,” said Dr Vrushali Navale, a pharma resident at KEM. “But the sad part is that even after implementing these measures, there are people who lack fear of the law. We need a central law that protects all doctors from violence with stricter punishments. The existing law only applies in epidemic situations.”