A month goes by since the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at her workplace in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital shocked the nation. Thousands of citizens including medical professionals across the country and the globe came out to the streets to demand justice for the victim and a safe environment for women.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the crime and so far there has been one arrest regarding the rape and murder while four arrests in a corruption case related to the hospital where the crime took place in Bengal on August 9.
Kolkata Police began investigating the case and they arrested one person the day after the incident. But several claims of negligence surfaced with time which includes filing the death as suicide instead of murder in the initial report, delay in concealing the crime scene, protecting state's political interests.
The Calcutta High Court in a hearing on August 13 blasted the Bengal government for appointing ex-principal of RG Kar Hospital Sandip Ghosh to another state-run hospital a day after he resigned due to “moral responsibility” and “political conspiracy". HC accused Mamata Banerjee-led government of protecting Ghos
Where Does CBI Probe Stand
A 25-member special team of CBI took over the case of rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar on August 14 and in their initial step the team spoke to the victim's parents, friends, colleagues and staff at the hospital.
Next, CBI started to interrogate Sandip Ghosh and also performed a psychological assessment of the arrested accused Sanjay Roy. Among the questions that CBI asked Ghosh were related to his role when he knew about the crime at his hospital and why he made the victim's parents wait for three hours to get near the body.
A CBI officer informed the media that the psychoanalytic profiling of the arrested accused Sanjay Roy indicated that he is a pervert and severely addicted to porn and adding that he had "animal-like instinct".
CBI conducted a polygraph test of Roy which reportedly revealed that he visited red-light areas often, molested a woman and claimed the victim was already dead when he saw her.
The CBI on August 24 took over the alleged financial irregularities case at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the tenure of former principal Sandip Ghosh. They raided his house several times and interrogated him for the case until Ghosh along with four of his aides were arrested on September 2 and was sent to an 8-day custody.
What Did Supreme Court Say
The Supreme Court on August 20 expressed grave concern over media reports disclosing the name of a trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital. The Court criticised this breach of dignity, referencing its earlier ruling that survivor identities should remain confidential.
It also highlighted the unsafe working conditions for doctors, calling for a national safety protocol.
The Court condemned the West Bengal government's delay in filing an FIR and criticised the hospital's initial attempt to downplay the incident as suicide. Additionally, it condemned the police for allowing a mob to vandalize the hospital on August 14.
The Supreme Court questioned the appointment of the RG Kar Hospital principal to another institution amid the investigation. It demanded a report from the Central Bureau of Investigation and established a National Task Force to address violence against doctors and improve their working conditions.
The Court also directed protesting doctors to resume work, ensuring their concerns are addressed.
It ordered the Central Industrial Security Force to secure the hospital and instructed the West Bengal government to submit a status report on the probe and vandalism.
The next Supreme court hearing is taking place on September 9.
Autopsy Report Of Crime
The postmortem of the deceased doctor revealed she died from "manual strangulation associated with smothering," confirming the death as homicidal.
The autopsy report detailed 16 external and nine internal injuries, including wounds on her cheeks, lips, nose, neck, arms, and knees.
The report also noted evidence of "forceful penetration/insertion" in her genitalia, indicating possible sexual assault. Not only that, the injuries to her private parts were described as resulting from "perverted sexuality" and "genital torture."
Allegations Made By Victim's Family
The father of the victim turned down the compensation of Rs 10 lakh by the Bengal Government and stated, "It will hurt my daughter if I accept money as compensation for her death. I want justice."
The father of the deceased trainee doctor accused the Kolkata Police of deliberate delays in registering their FIR. He claimed that police initially misled them, suggesting suicide, and tried to offer money.
According to a report by Times of India, the body was not released promptly, with the post-mortem starting an hour late, and the FIR was filed hours after their complaint.
He also alleged that police pressure forced them to cremate the body hastily, and questioned why the hospital and police did not act sooner. The father expressed anguish over the handling of his daughter’s case and the pressure they faced.
Doctor Bodies Call For Ceasework
On the days following the rape and murder in Kolkata, resident doctors in West Bengal and Delhi went on an indefinite strike, affecting the OPD services and non-emergency surgeries.
This came in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) which said that the "strike won't stop unless justice is served and our demands are met".
Doctors across India joined the protests by calling casework, some of them resumed work after the Supreme Court urged them to take care of their patients. Junior doctors in Kolkata are still protesting and some of them camped for 22 hours to demand the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner for negligence and alleged appeasement of the state government.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and sought a detailed enquiry into the conditions enabling such crimes to take place as well as the steps to improve doctors' safety, especially women in workplace. IMA also cancelled Sandip Ghosh's membership on August 28.
People Came On the Streets
Kolkata on Sunday night saw widespread protests demanding justice for the victim . Participants included former students, clay modellers, rickshaw pullers, and junior doctors irrespective of political inclination.
Around 4,000 former students marched 2 km in South Kolkata, chanting for justice. In North Kolkata, clay modellers held a rally led by a girl dressed as Goddess Durga, and rickshaw pullers also protested.
Junior doctors from RG Kar and NRS hospitals formed a human chain and sang the national anthem.
Despite being on strike, junior doctors continue to offer telemedicine services. The "Reclaim the Night" campaign continued with protests expected across West Bengal following massive outpour on August 14 and September 4 for the same campaign.
Protests for justice for the trainee's death also spread outside India as members of the Indian diaspora across 25 countries joined the solidarity marches. As per a Reuters report, thousands of Indians protested in more than 130 cities across 25 countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Europe and the United States.
