Junior doctors in India’s Kolkata have called off their 17-day hunger strike, initiated in protest against the rape and murder of a colleague. 

The decision came after an appeal from the victim's parents, who expressed concern for the health of the fasting doctors as well as the impact of the ongoing crisis on healthcare services for ordinary citizens.

The doctors had been pressing for improved security and conditions at government hospitals, alongside demands for justice for the assaulted woman. The protest gained national attention following the discovery of her body at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, which had sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country.

A police volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime, further intensifying calls for accountability and reform. 

"They (parents of the victim) expressed their worries about the fasting junior doctors' health as well as the defunct health care services that must have affected hundreds of ordinary citizens," said Dr Debasish Halder, a spokesman for the doctors.