Kolkata rape-murder: All that has changed over a month

A month has passed since India was rudely woken up to the news of the brutal rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On August 9 morning, the half-naked body of the 31-year old medic was found in the seminar hall of the hospital. Initial post-mortem report said the body bore multiple injury marks and that the victim was bleeding from her private parts, eyes and mouth, suggesting that it was a case of sexual assault.

Investigations revealed that the doctor was attacked and raped before being strangled to death, soon after she retired to the seminar hall to take rest after a gruelling 36-hour shift.

On August 10, Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, was arrested for the crime.

As more details on the case began to stream in, the gory nature of the crime paired with lapses in reporting it, triggered a massive public outcry, putting Kolkata Police and the Mamata Banerjee government in an embarrassing position. This prompted the Calcutta High Court to handover the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation while the Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance of the case.

Here is all that has changed in the course of a month:

Loss of face for Mamata; BJP reaps benefits

The severity of the case is said to have acted as a tipping point for the average Bengali, to channel the pent-up anger and frustration over the dismal state of law-and-order situation in the state, in form of public protests.

The protesters have thrown a series of questions at the government – why was the victim’s body cremated in a hurry?, why was the FIR filed after a 14-hour delay?, why was the college’s former principal Sandip Ghosh transferred shortly after resigning? Why was the crime scene tinkered with? Why the doctor’s family was initially told that she had committed suicide?

While the state unit of the Congress and the Left joined the protest against the crime, INDIA bloc allies, have maintained a studied silence on the issue.

The BJP has cashed in on public discontentment to amplify its opposition to the TMC government, and has been demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Banerjee to ensure an impartial probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, Banerjee’s public posturing demanding capital punishment for the accused, letters to the Prime Minister demanding stricter central legislation for crimes like rape and murder, and a recently-released anti-rape Bill by her government, doesn’t seem to have cut ice with the protesters who have been hitting the streets for a month now.

Medical fraternity up in arms

While the rape and murder, sparked a protest by junior doctors of RG Kar Hospital on campus, similar agitations followed across the country. Besides RG Kar Hospital, slogans demanding justice and enhanced security measures for healthcare professionals, were heard on campuses including Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, AIIMS-Delhi, RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Haringe Medical College.

Doctors’ associations such as the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) besides the Indian Medical Association (IMA) threw their weight behind the protesting doctors.

Prominent among the demands made by doctors was the formulation of a central law to protect healthcare workers on campus.

Even though doctors in other states resumed work in deference to the Supreme Court’s appeal, junior doctors at RG Kar have refused to budge unless all their demands are fulfilled, making it the longest protest by medics since the 80s.

Even though the Supreme Court has ordered the formation of a task force to formulate rules for the security of doctors, the protesting medics have decried the “slow pace” of the probe and have demanded fast justice for the victim.

Despite the Kolkata Police’s swift arrest, several lapses in responding to the crime including delay in filing of FIR has circulated rumours about an alleged “cover up” to save the “real accused”.

The top court, however, in an order on Monday (September 9) warned the protesting doctors that disciplinary action will be taken against them if they don’t end their strike by 5 pm on Tuesday and resume duties.

Wakeup call for society

The crime also acted as a wakeup call for all sections of society to come out of their homes and demand justice for the victim. The enormity of the protests that has been seen in the wake of the rape-murder, matches the magnitude of the public agitation that broke out in the wake of the Nirbhaya rape case in 2012.

As the Bengal doctors continue to protest, people from several walks of life including actors, students, politicians and homemakers have joined them in solidarity. On Wednesday, Kolkata residents, responding to the protest call switched off the lights of their homes as thousands of women, holding candles, took out a rally as part of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign demanding justice for the rape and murder victim. The first such protest was held on August 14.

Measures taken for doctors' safety

The Supreme Court while hearing the case on August 20 ordered the constitution of a 10-member national task force to make recommendations on prevention of violence and to ensure safe working conditions for medical professionals.

The doctors’ panel, which has been asked to submit its interim report within three weeks and final report by two months, will also frame guidelines to ensure safety and protection of healthcare professionals across the country.

The Bengal government also recently introduced an anti-rape Bill to ensure death penalty for convicts in rape and murder cases.

On Wednesday, Union ministry urged the state governments to submit action-taken reports on the immediate and short-term security measures implemented in medical institutions for doctors and healthcare workers.

Where is the probe headed?

Even though the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the case on the direction of the Calcutta High Court, it is yet to make a significant breakthrough and get answers that explains the motive behind the crime.

Putting the rumours of gang-rape to rest, the CBI has clarified that the crime was perpetrated by a single individual.

The agency on Monday raised suspicion over the forensic report in the case submitted by the Central Forensic Science Lab (CFSL), Kolkata. This prompted the Supreme Court to order the agency to file a fresh report after getting the sending the samples for examination to AIIMS Delhi and other CFSLs.

In its status report submitted to the Supreme Court, the investigating agency has claimed that the crime scene was altered before it took charge of the probe and that the victim’s family was misled about her death and informed that it was a suicide. The agency has also flagged certain discrepancies by the hospital administration including delay in filing of FIR and lack of sensitivity on its part to protect the crime scene.

The polygraph test on the accused Sanjay Roy have also not borne definite results. While Roy had initially confessed to the crime, he has been flip-flopping on his statements.

During one of the hearings, he told the additional chief judicial magistrate that he was being framed. Even though Roy, as per the CBI, had given minute details on the crime during interrogation, during the polygraph test, he claimed that he didn’t commit the murder and had found the woman lying unconscious and drenched in blood on entering the seminar hall.

The agency, however, asserts that there is evidence against Roy that pinpoint him as the prime accused in the case. The CBI says, Roy was first spotted in the CCTV footage at the hospital and his Bluetooth earphone was found near the body of the victim in the seminar hall on the third floor. He was seen entering the building at 4 am on August 9 and exiting after 40 minutes on the CCTV footage and his earphones were missing on his person at that time. Traces of blood and skin found under the victim’s fingernails also matched his DNA, the agency has said.

Probe into 'financial irregularities' at RG Kar

The rape-murder case has also brought the fore allegations of financial irregularities happening in the hospital during Ghosh’s tenure.

The matter came to light after a former colleague of Ghosh alleged that he was selling medical waste and bodies and taking bribes from students to pass them in examination.

Ghosh on September 3 was arrested by the CBI on charges of financial misconduct during his stint as the college’s principal.