Calcutta HC begins hearing fresh RG Kar plea as docs face ‘state wrath’

Parents of the postgraduate trainee doctor raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College Hospital last August have questioned the sincerity of the West Bengal government in going to the bottom of the case as the state counsel has doubted the legal tenability of a fresh probe after the conclusion of the trial.

This comes amid allegations of a state-sponsored witch-hunt against the doctors who protested for months seeking justice for their colleague.

A single Bench of the Calcutta High Court has started hearing the parents' plea seeking a reinvestigation into the case. However, state counsel Kalyan Banerjee submitted before the court on Monday (March 24) that while the state has no objection to further investigation, “does the law permit it after the conclusion of the trial?”

Banerjee also took exception to the parents moving the high court and not the trial court.

Also read: RG Kar rape-murder victim's father alleges involvement of many in crime

No clarity on state stand, say parents

The parents of the slain doctor objected to the government’s stand.

“The state government’s approach has not undergone any change. From day one, there has been no clarity on what it wants. On the one hand, it claimed that it has no objection to a fresh probe. On the other, it is citing legal issues to stall the investigation,” the doctor’s father told the media after the day’s proceedings.

Court seeks clarifications from CBI

Hearing the petition, Justice Tirthanker Ghosh asked the CBI — which was investigating the case — to clarify during the next hearing on Friday (March 28) whether it had ever considered the possibility of the involvement of more than one person in the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor.

The agency was also asked to clarify whether its investigation pertained to the rape and murder or the alleged destruction of evidence. The court directed it to submit case diaries during the next hearing.

Justice Ghosh also sought to know from the CBI the status of further investigation and the second chargesheet.

Also read: Kolkata rallies demand justice for murdered RG Kar doctor

The trial

A trial court, in January this year, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment prime accused Sanjay Roy on charges of rape and murder after 57 days of in-camera trial.

Roy, a civic volunteer with the police, was arrested by the Kolkata Police a day after the August 9 incident and was the sole accused named by the CBI. After his sentencing, the state government felt vindicated.

The victim’s parents and many doctors were, however, not convinced that the brutal crime could have been orchestrated by one person. They alleged that it was an institutional murder to prevent the junior doctor from exposing a fake medicine racket in the institution. The others involved in the crimes were being shielded, they had alleged.

Parents raise 54 questions in court

A re-investigation by the CBI could raise some questions that would be uncomfortable for the state government. The victim’s father said they have raised 54 questions before the court seeking answers.

While pronouncing its verdict, the trial court had observed the CBI had not been able to establish the motive behind the rape and murder despite terming the incident premeditated.

The re-investigation, if ordered, might also give a fresh impetus to the protest over the incident that has fizzled out amid allegations that the state government is selectively targeting those who were at the forefront of the agitation.

Also read: RG Kar case: Mother of murdered doctor seeks meeting with PM Modi for justice

Doctors face state wrath

At least two junior and four senior doctors are facing the wrath of the state government, allegedly for taking the lead in the protests over the tragic incident that had eventually turned into a civil society movement for justice and accountability.

The West Bengal Medical Council filed a police complaint against four senior doctors, accusing them of hindering its functioning, sources told The Federal. They are Dr Manas Gumta, Dr Utpal Banerjee, Dr Subarna Goswami, and Dr Ranjan Bhattacharya.

Senior doctor transferred

Dr Goswami was last week demoted from his post as chief medical officer of health of East Burdwan district and transferred to Darjeeling TB Hospital as the superintendent. It is his eighth transfer under the current TMC regime.

Claiming that the latest transfer was linked to his involvement in the RG Kar protests, Dr Goswami said his new position was a rank below the post he held in East Burdwan.

Many junior resident doctors of RG Kar hospital, including Asfakullah Naiya and Kinjal Nanda, are also under the council’s scanner. Naiya’s residence was also raided by the police.

The medical officer of RG Kar hospital, Dr Tapas Pramanick, has been slapped with charges of “question paper leak.”