Kolkata RG Kar hospital rape-murder: Why are junior doctors protesting?

As the resident doctors’ strike spread like wildfire after Friday’s rape and murder of an on-duty postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (August 12) said her government would hand over the case to the CBI if her police fail to solve it by next Sunday (August 18).

On Monday morning, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of AIIMS Delhi joined the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) in its nationwide strike, suspending all non-essential services, including OPDs and patient wards. However, emergency care will continue, Dr Raghunandan Dixit, General Secretary of AIIMS RDA, said.

Already, 10 government hospitals in Delhi have started an indefinite strike in response to FORDA’s call, halting all elective services, after the PGT doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar hospital while on duty. A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police has been arrested in connection with the crime and he has reportedly confessed to the police too, and there is incriminating evidence against him, according to the police.

So, why are junior doctors protesting, across Kolkata and now in the national capital too? Here is all that has happened so far in the case, which has been dubbed “Nirbhaya 2.0”.

What happened at RG Kar hospital?

Around 7.30 am on Friday (August 9), the semi-nude body of the 31-year-old PGT doctor of the chest medicine department was found inside the seminar hall of the top state-run hospital.

Soon after that, the woman’s father alleged that efforts were being made to “hide the truth”, and the family was allegedly first told that the woman had killed herself — despite her semi-naked state and obvious signs of injury.

The principal of RG Kar Medical College, Dr Sandip Ghosh, who was forced to resign on Monday by the protesting junior doctors, was accused of victim blaming after the horrifying incident. He allegedly asked why the woman was sleeping in the seminar room at that hour — a charge he has denied.

Initial autopsy report

However, the initial autopsy conducted later that day — on-camera and in the presence of two female witnesses and the woman’s mother — indicated that she was murdered after being sexually assaulted, between 3 am and 6 am. Suicide was ruled out outright.

According to the four-page report, the woman was bleeding from her private parts, with injury marks in other parts of the body. Her neck bone was broken, indicating that she was first strangulated and then smothered to death, said the report.

She was bleeding from “both her eyes and mouth”, and had injuries “over the face and nail”. “The victim…also has injuries in her belly, left leg… neck, in her right hand, ring finger and… lips,” the report said.

The arrest

Soon, protests broke out, with junior doctors and students’ organisations of various parties alleging that there was an attempt to hush up the case. Kolkata Police formed an SIT, which grilled five persons, who were on duty with her on Thursday night.

Based on the questioning and a torn Bluetooth earphone, police on Saturday arrested 33-year-old Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy. The torn earphone was found in the seminar room, near the woman’s body.

When police scanned the CCTV footage, they reportedly saw Roy entering the emergency building, which houses the seminar room, with the Bluetooth device around his neck around 4 am. However, when he left the building some 40 minutes later, the earphone had gone missing. The torn device was reportedly found to be paired with his mobile phone.

Evidence against Roy

The time coincided with the estimated time of crime mentioned in the initial autopsy report. The deceased trainee doctor had eaten dinner with four colleagues in the seminar room while watching Neeraj Chopra win silver. After that, well after midnight, the other doctors left, while she remained in the room as she was on night duty. She was seen sleeping in the room at 3 am.

Circumstantial evidence shows that Roy entered the seminar room around 4 am and attacked the female doctor when she was asleep. He allegedly sexually assaulted her brutally and when she resisted, violently beat her up and throttled her. Police have also said that circumstantial evidence indicates that the doctor may have been first murdered and then raped.

According to CCTV footage, five others had also been in the area around the seminar hall during that time, but only Roy reportedly had no explanation for his presence there at that time. He reportedly confessed to the crime, according to police, as reported in the media.

Who is Sanjay Roy?

Roy had been recruited as a civic volunteer in 2019. Often called “civic police”, this force was created in West Bengal to help the police. However, there are many allegations against civic volunteers of misbehaviour and highhandedness.

Roy had reportedly been posted at RG Kar hospital’s police outpost on several occasions, sometimes for long periods, and that is how he had easy access to every department of the hospital. Hospital security guards reportedly said Roy visited the hospital regularly, while some alleged that he often made deals with patients to get them easy access to services.

He reportedly has a history of violence and alcohol abuse, and his sister, an ASI with Kolkata Police, has sought the “strictest possible punishment” for him.

Detailed autopsy report

The detailed autopsy report that came on Sunday reportedly presented more incriminating evidence against Roy. The traces of blood and skin found under the fingernails of the woman have reportedly matched with Roy’s, and he also has matching injuries on his hand to further bolster the evidence, according to police.

The post-mortem report has also corroborated the initial autopsy report that the woman was smothered and throttled.

Roy’s cold and remorseless behaviour has also troubled many. According to the police, he returned to his residence and went to sleep after the horrible crime. The next morning, he reportedly washed his clothes to destroy evidence. The police, however, found marks of blood on his shoes.

Why are doctors protesting?

Claims have been made in certain sections that Roy could not have committed the crime alone, especially given the brutality of the injuries. Some Bengali television channels have played a recorded conversation purportedly between two junior doctors, one of whom claims that another intern may have been involved in the crime, someone from an influential family.

It has also been speculated that Roy may have been settling an old score with the woman and hospital "insiders" were also in on it.  

Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, however, has urged people not to spread rumours and assured them that the probe is “transparent”. Asked if anyone else was involved in the crime, he told the media, “As of now, there is no evidence of that.” He has also said that lust seems to be the only reason for the crime and Roy allegedly murdered the woman when she put up a fight.

Goyal also met the agitating students at RG Kar hospital and said, “If you have any information, if you think anyone was involved, let us know. We will look into it. There is nothing to hide,” he said, according to a TOI report.

So far, apart from the principal, hospital superintendent and vice-principal Sanjay Bashistha and the ACP posted on the hospital campus, Chandan Guha, have been removed. Mamata, who has been in touch with the woman’s family, has said she wants the case to be tried in a fast-track court and also said the state will seek the death penalty for the accused.

Doctors’ demands

Resident doctors have, however, raised concerns about the integrity of the ongoing probe and have called for an immediate transfer to the CBI. In fact, at least three PILs have been filed seeking a CBI investigation into the case, and these will be heard by the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday.

Among the demands of the agitating doctors were the removals of the principal, super, and ACP. Here are their other demands:

• A fast-track judicial probe with “exemplary punishment” to “all the perpetrators”.
• The resignation of the dean and the head of the chest medicine department.
• An apology from Kolkata Police for the alleged assault on the protesting doctors outside the hospital on Saturday.
• Adequate compensation to the woman’s family.
• Adequate workplace security across all medical colleges in West Bengal.

(With agency inputs)