Police use water cannons and tear gas on India rape case protesters

Police fire tear gas shells to disperse people protesting against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a government hospital earlier this month in Kolkata (Bikas Das/AP/PA)

Police in India have fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of a top elected official in the country’s east, accusing her of mishandling an investigation into the rape and killing of a resident doctor earlier this month.

The August 9 killing of the 31-year-old physician while on duty at Kolkata city’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital triggered protests across India, focusing on the chronic issue of violence against women in the country. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal state.