Medical professionals and students shout slogans as they protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in West Bengal state, in New Delhi on Friday. AFP

Police and local officials said blockades by the protesters disrupted public transport in several parts of the state. More than 1,500 people were detained.

Political parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also held demonstrations in the state capital Kolkata, the scene of the crime.

The victim, a 31-year-old doctor, was found dead last Friday on a blood-soaked mattress in the medical college where she worked in Kolkata. She had settled down for a nap in a college lecture hall after working for nearly 20 hours of a 36-hour shift, staff at the R. G. Kar Medical College told Reuters.

Anger at the failure of tough laws to deter a rising tide of violence against women has fuelled protests by doctors and women's groups.

On Thursday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on doctors nationwide — a figure it estimates to exceed a million — to shut down all services except emergency departments for 24 hours from Saturday morning.

"Women form the majority of our profession in this country. Time and again, we have asked for safety for them," IMA President R. V. Asokan told Reuters.

The rape and murder have shocked the nation, with Bollywood actors, other celebrities and politicians all calling for stricter punishment for perpetrators of such crimes.

A police volunteer, designated to help police officers and their families who needed to be admitted to the hospital, has been arrested and charged with the crime, but protesters say that is not enough.

Doctors say the circumstances of the rape highlight the vulnerability of medics left without proper protection and facilities.

Tougher sentences were among changes made to the criminal justice system after the 2012 gang rape of a 23-year-old student in a bus that sparked similar protests and outrage, but campaigners say little has changed since.

Reuters