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India’s cry for justice: The brutal Kolkata rape-murder of a young doctor has ignited nationwide protests on the eve of the 78th Independence’s Day

Citizens and doctors march hand-in-hand, demanding safety, dignity, and freedom from fear for every woman after the heinous incident of sexual violence that emerged from West Bengal

Image: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Protests have erupted across India in response to the tragic and shocking discovery of a 31-year-old young trainee doctor’s body at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. The city of Kolkata, as well as the whole country, has been shaken by the brutal rape and murder that took place against the young doctor on the campus of the hospital while she was on a night duty. As per reports, after completing her midnight rounds, she went to rest in the seminar hall, where the horrific crime occurred. Her body was found the next morning, bearing severe injuries to her eyes, face, mouth, neck, limbs, and private parts. Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer known to frequent the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the crime.

The incident has sparked a nationwide outrage, leading to widespread protests and disrupting hospital services across several Indian cities. An autopsy confirmed that the doctor was raped before being murdered. Thousands of doctors and citizens marched in Kolkata and other cities, demanding justice for the victim and improved security measures. As the country prepares to mark the 78th year of Independence, a massive protest is planned for the evening of August 14, with people of all genders, political leaders, and citizenry uniting to demand justice and safety for women in India.

Details on the Kolkata rape and murder case:

The family of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital shared their harrowing experience in an interview with Lallantop, recounting the traumatic events following the tragedy on August 9. The family alleged that hospital authorities initially informed them that their daughter had died by suicide and made them wait outside for three hours before they were allowed them to see her body.

In the interview, the trainee doctor’s father also recalled receiving a call from the hospital, where they were told that their daughter had died by suicide and urged to come immediately. Despite their pleas to see her, they were forced to wait for hours. After the long wait of three hours outside the seminar hall, the father was finally permitted to view his daughter’s body and was allowed to take a photo. He shared that she was unclothed, with her legs positioned unnaturally apart, a condition that suggested severe trauma to the pelvic region, indicating she had been violently assaulted.

According to a report in India Today, the post-mortem report confirmed that the trainee doctor had been subjected to “genital torture.” The report further revealed that the accused, Sanjoy Roy, had struck her with such force that her glasses shattered, and the shards caused severe injuries to her eyes. She had bleeding from her eyes, mouth, and private parts, along with injuries to her face, abdomen, neck, left leg, right hand, and lips. After this brutal assault, the accused killed her by strangulation and smothering. Her death was estimated to have occurred between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on that Friday.

On August 14, the case took a another turn as Left-wing groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital authorities of attempting to tamper with evidence. The CPI(M)-affiliated Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) highlighted that renovation work had suspiciously begun near the seminar room where the doctor’s body was found just days earlier. Protestors gathered at the hospital’s Emergency building gate, accusing the authorities of trying to destroy evidence and protect those truly responsible.

Additionally, the Hindustan Times reported that a doctor from the Left-affiliated Joint Forum of Doctors claimed the post-mortem report suggested the possibility that the victim had been raped by multiple individuals.

Investigation into the RG Kar Medical College and the scams running under its principal:

It is essential to note that on the same day of the incident, Sandip Ghosh, the principal of RG Kar Medical College, had resigned from his position. In his resignation, Ghosh stated, “I am being defamed on social media. False accusations are being spread against me, and students are being provoked to demand my removal. The deceased doctor was like my child, and I want justice for her. As a parent, I am stepping down.” However, following his resignation, he was reassigned as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC) within a few hours.

On the other hand, more shocking news came as an independent investigation conducted by the Times of India uncovered numerous issues within RG Kar Medical College and Hospital under Sandip Ghosh’s leadership. One such issue was the “regular practice” of facilitating beds at the hospital for financially struggling patients from nearby nursing homes, but only in exchange for a fee.

As per the investigation, ex-principal Ghosh was well-connected with the local police station, maintaining close relationships with both junior and senior officers stationed at the hospital’s police outpost. According to a source at the hospital, he frequently collaborated with a particular junior officer to run this operation, ensuring that the money collected from desperate patients was distributed through an organized network. The TOI report stated that although Ghosh was technically part of the police welfare cell and his role at RG Kar involved assisting those admitted to the hospital, he had no official responsibilities at the police outpost. Nonetheless, he visited the outpost regularly and was heavily involved in various dubious activities. He was reportedly “at the centre of a racket involving touts who charged patients for various unethical services, such as securing multiple visiting cards, hospital beds, and priority in medical tests”.

The TOI report further provided that a source at the hospital revealed that Ghosh would target well-off patient relatives at RG Kar Hospital, luring them to nearby nursing homes by promising better treatment, often claiming that the same hospital doctors would treat them there. Additionally, he frequently boasted about his connections with senior Kolkata Police officers, even going so far as to pressure a district reserve officer to secure him a spot in the fourth battalion barracks at Bidhannagar.

Additionally, the report stated that Ghosh was known for name-dropping influential police officers to get what he wanted. He was also accused of riding a motorcycle with “KP” (Kolkata Police) written on the visor and duping young job seekers by promising them jobs in the police force in exchange for a fee. Reportedly, one source alleged that he took over Rs 2 lakh from a hawker, promising him a position as a civic volunteer.

Other than this, since the news of the incident at RG Kar Hospital broke out, which reportedly serves over 3,500 patients daily, the overworked trainee doctors gave their narration of how some of the doctors are required to work up to 36 hours straight at a hospital that lacked designated restrooms. As a result, they were forced to rest in a seminar room on the third floor.

 Calcutta High Court expresses concern while shifting probe to CBI:

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered that the criminal investigation into the incident be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), signalling the case’s importance at a national level. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya questioned the state government after it was revealed that the police had initially recorded the deceased’s death as a suicide, which was communicated to her parents, who were made to wait for hours before being allowed to see her body.

As per a report in the LiveLaw, during the proceedings, the bench had remarked “If it is a fact that somebody called the parent and told them that it was sickness and then suicide, there is a miss somewhere. If this is true that they were made to wait and mislead then the administration is loitering with them. You cannot treat the deceased like this. There should be more sensitivity. Suppose the doctors are made parties and they claim that the principal blamed the deceased and said she had psychosis, it is very serious. By now a statement should have been recorded from the principal.”

According to LiveLaw, the Court expressed concern over these events, particularly noting that if the principal resigned due to moral responsibility, it was troubling that he was reassigned to another position within 12 hours. The Court questioned, “No man is above law, how did he step down and then be rewarded with another responsibility? The principal is the guardian of all doctors working there, if he doesn’t show any empathy who will show? He should be at home not working anywhere. So powerful that a government counsel is representing him? The principal will not function. Let him go on long leave. Otherwise, we will pass an order.”

Later that day, the division bench issued an order expressing concern that the police had registered the case as an unnatural death. The Court criticized the principal and the college authorities for not taking any substantial steps to aid the investigation and ordered that the principal be placed on indefinite leave until further notice. Recognizing that under normal circumstances, a report from the state police would be sufficient, the Court acknowledged the unusual nature of the case and agreed with the victim’s parents that any further delay could result in the destruction of evidence.

In its order, the bench noted that “The parents of the victim have an apprehension that if the investigation is allowed to continue in this manner, it will derail. Therefore they pray for extraordinary relief. One more disturbing aspect is that a case of unnatural death was registered. It is submitted that such cases are registered when there is no complaint. When the deceased was a doctor in the same hospital, it is surprising why the principal did not lodge a complaint. There has been no significant progress in the investigation. The administration was not with the victim or her family. The principal has not even given a statement. Without significant progress in the investigation, we would be well justified in accepting the prayers by the victim’s parents that evidence would be destroyed. Therefore, we transfer the investigation to the CBI to do justice between parties and to inspire public confidence.” (Para 30)

Thus, the bench of the Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI and listed the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

The complete order can be read here.

Notably, a special CBI team from Delhi had reached Kolkata on August 14 to investigate the rape-murder case.

Protests by doctors:

In the city of Kolkata, following the news of the horrific crime, the medical community erupted in protests. On August 12, around 6 p.m., thousands of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and others gathered at RG Kar Medical College, holding placards demanding justice for the victim. The protesting doctors, who were calling for the resignation of the principal and other senior officials of the college, were further outraged by the decision to reassign Sandip Ghosh to another institution immediately after his resignation. They vowed not to allow Ghosh to assume his new role as principal of Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC). Later, doctors and students from CNMC organized a rally to RG Kar, demanding Ghosh’s removal from his new post.

 

On August 12, several government-run hospitals initiated an indefinite strike. The Federation of Resident Doctors Association also called for a nationwide suspension of elective services in hospitals starting Monday.

Protests spread across India on August 13, with over 8,000 government doctors in Maharashtra halting work in all hospital departments except for emergency services, as reported by local media. In Kolkata, emergency services were suspended on August 13 in almost all government-run medical college hospitals, according to state official NS Nigam, who told Reuters that the government was evaluating the impact on health services.

In New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats protested outside a major government hospital, holding posters that read, “Doctors are not punching bags.” Top hospitals in Delhi, including AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital Dwarka, PGIMS, and Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, continued their strike on August 14. The management of these hospitals announced they would maintain their strike, demanding legislation to ensure the safety of healthcare workers.

Similar protests affected hospital services in other cities, such as Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, and in Goa.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country’s largest doctors’ organization, sent a letter to Health Minister JP Nadda on August 13, highlighting the “pedestrian working conditions, inhuman workloads, and workplace violence” that healthcare workers face. They met with him for talks later that day.

In response to the widespread unrest, India’s medical education regulator, the National Medical Commission, issued a notice to all medical institutions, calling for the installation of CCTV cameras in sensitive areas and the provision of adequate security staff. The notice, reported by newspapers on Tuesday, also recommended that all campus corridors be well-lit in the evening to ensure the safety of staff moving around the premises.

Protests by citizenry:

Women in Kolkata and across Bengal will take to the streets late night today in a massive show of defiance, marching against the violence that took one of their own. Women in thousands are preparing to take part in a powerful ‘Reclaim the Night’ march at midnight on August 14. This march, set to unfold just before India’s Independence Day on August 15, is a demand for the “independence to live in freedom and without fear”. The march will span at least 45 locations across Bengal, with the movement growing as more people from the suburbs join in, The Telegraph reported. Slogans like “Justice for RG Kar,” “The Night is Ours,” “Reclaim the Night,” and “Meyera Raat er Dhokhol Koro” (Women, seize the night) are being echoed across social media, and shared widely on WhatsApp, as a rallying cry for justice and change.

Posters detailing the protest locations are flooding social media, with new spots being added as more and more voices join the chorus. Men are also stepping up in large numbers, standing in solidarity with the women who are reclaiming their streets. Till now, there have been reports of several prominent figures, including actor Swastika Mukherjee, actor Churni Ganguly, and filmmaker Pratim D. Gupta, urging people to join the midnight gathering at whichever location is most accessible to them. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given the city police a deadline until Sunday to complete the investigation. She has assured the victim’s family that if they desire, the state government will recommend a CBI probe, affirming that the government has nothing to hide.

 

The call for justice is not confined to the state of West Bengal. As the messages about the march spread on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, political leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties have pledged their support to this unprecedented, and thus far apolitical, movement. Demonstrations are already taking place in Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Protesters stand united, holding placards that read, “Justice needs to be served,” “No duty without security,” and “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

This wave of protests, marked by both anguish and determination, is a cry from the heart of a society that refuses to be silenced. It is a demand for safety, respect, and the right to live without fear, resonating far beyond the West Bengal.

 

Related:

India Cries for Freedom!

India’s flawed rape laws: a betrayal of equality

Bilkis Bano Case: Supreme Court strikes down remission for gang rape and murder convicts, citing flagrant violation of rule of law

Horrifying instances of rape in MP and Mahrashtra, accused booked under POCSO

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