Indian police have charged a man with the rape and murder of a doctor, a crime which appalled the country and triggered wide-scale protests.

The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor's bloodied body at a government hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on in early August sparked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women.

The suspect, named as Sanjoy Roy, was arrested the day after the murder and has been held in custody since.

He was formally charged on Monday, local time, with a confidential document of evidence submitted to the court.

"Sanjoy Roy has been charged with the rape and murder of the on-duty trainee post-graduate doctor inside the hospital," a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official told AFP.

Roy, widely reported by Indian media to be aged 33, and who had been working as a volunteer in the hospital supporting patients, would potentially face the death penalty if convicted.

Doctors in Kolkata went on strike for weeks in response to the brutal attack.

Tens of thousands of Indians joined in the protests, which focused anger on the lack of measures for women doctors to work without fear.

While most medics have returned to work, a small group began a hunger strike this month.

The doctors say the West Bengal state government had failed to deliver on its promises to upgrade lighting, security cameras and other measures to protect them.

India's Supreme Court last month ordered a national task force to examine how to bolster security for healthcare workers, saying the brutality of the killing had "shocked the conscience of the nation".

The gruesome nature of the attack drew comparisons with the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus, which also sparked weeks of nationwide protests.

AFP/ABC