Kolkata: Amid the protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at a hospital in Kolkata, the West Bengal government on Monday appointed Dr Debasish Halder as the new Director of Health Services (DHS), officials said.

Halder, who was the Joint DHS (Non-Communicable Diseases Screening) in his last assignment, replaced Dr Siddhartha Neogi, they said.

The state government also named Shubhanjan Das as a secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department, they added.

On Friday, the body of the female doctor was found at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, leading to widespread protest by medicos demanding safety at the workplace and harshest punishment for the accused.