India's doctors refuse to end strike over brutal rape and murder of trainee at Kolkata hospital

New Delhi — Public hospitals across India were turning away all but emergency patients Monday as hundreds of thousands of doctors continued refusing to work as part of a national strike that began Saturday over the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor.

Medics have demanded safer workplaces and swift legal action following the rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on Aug. 9, which sparked a new wave of national rage over violence against women.

"Our indefinite cease-work and sit-in will continue till our demands are met," vowed Dr. Aniket Mahata, a spokesperson for striking junior doctors at the R.G. Kar facility.