After brutal murder, India's female doctors open up on abuse they face

Saving lives was a childhood dream for 28-year-old Indian doctor Radhika, but after the brutal rape and murder of a colleague, her own safety has increasingly become a concern.

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Earlier in August, the battered and bloodied body of a 31-year-old woman doctor was found at the government-run hospital where she worked in the eastern city of Kolkata, sparking outrage.

One man has been detained, but the attack has focused anger on the lack of measures for female doctors to work without fear and triggered protests and strikes by medical workers.

"I was on night duty just two days before this incident," Dr Radhika said at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

"What she did is what any of us do resting whenever, wherever we can." The murdered doctor - who has not been formally named but is being called "Abhaya", or "fearless", by protesters was found in the teaching hospital's seminar hall, suggesting she had gone there for a break during a long shift.

Dr Radhika, whose name has been changed for fear of repercussions at her workplace, said conditions such as long working hours with barely any time to eat or rest were not unusual.

"This could have been any of us, and this still can be any of us," she added.