The SUCI (Communist) on Friday blocked roads and took out rallies in various parts of West Bengal, as part of its 12-hour general strike to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at a state-run hospital here.

Carrying flags and posters, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) activists criticised the state government over its "failure" to ensure the safety and security of doctors.

"The vandalism that took place inside the RG Kar hospital proves that the state government is yet to learn its lessons from the murder of the woman doctor," an SUCI-C leader said.

The emergency ward, nursing station, medicine store and parts of the outpatient department of the hospital were vandalised by miscreants on Thursday amid midnight protests by women across West Bengal, condemning the horrific rape-murder of the postgraduate trainee in the hospital's seminar hall on August 9.

The TMC-led state government, which has opposed the strike call, has taken up several measures to ensure that normal life is not affected.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Thursday asserted that her government does not support strikes.

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