CBI has filed the first chargesheet in the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. In this, the investigating agency has ruled out the possibility of gangrape of the trainee doctor. The agency says that Sanjay Roy carried out the crime alone. CBI arrived at this conclusion after taking statements of about 100 witnesses and conducting 12 polygraph tests. Police arrested Sanjay on August 10, the day after the incident. On the morning of August 9, the victim’s half-naked dead body was found in the seminar hall of the hospital. The postmortem report stated that the victim was bleeding from both eyes, mouth and private parts. The neck bone was also broken. However, Sanjay is still calling himself innocent. Police identified Sanjay from CCTV footage. In the footage, he was seen entering the seminar hall at 4 am on August 9. During this time, he was wearing earphones in his ears. When he came out of the hall after about 40 minutes, he did not have earphones. Police found a Bluetooth earphone at the crime scene, which was connected to his phone. Doctors’ hunger strike continues for the third day
Meanwhile, junior doctors in Kolkata, West Bengal are continuously pleading for justice regarding this incident. 6 junior doctors started an indefinite hunger strike from October 5. Today is the third day of the hunger strike going on at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala area. Dr. Aqib, one of the junior doctors on strike, said that the role of CBI in the RG Kar case in the Sessions Court is very weak. We want justice in this case as soon as possible. No one can say that our demands are wrong. Junior doctors are adamant on their 9 demands including the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, fixing accountability for corruption in the Health Department. Doctors said that they will install CCTV on the stage to maintain transparency of the hunger strike, so that everyone can see what is happening there? On October 7, the Calcutta High Court refused to hear the petition demanding transfer of the place where the junior doctors were protesting. The petitioner had said that the place where the doctors are on hunger strike is obstructing traffic. However, the High Court said that the matter related to this case is already in the Supreme Court. The government had accepted 3 out of 5 demands, the doctors had returned to work. The junior doctors of Bengal had gone on strike for 42 days from 10 August to 21 September against the rape-murder incident. The doctors had placed 5 demands before the government. Out of these, the government had accepted 3 demands. CM Mamata had assured to consider two other demands and conditions. After this, the doctors had ended the strike. They had returned to work in the hospitals. On 27 September, a case of beating of 3 doctors and 3 nurses came to light in Sagar Dutta Hospital, due to which the doctors got angry and started the strike again on 1 October. On 4 October, the junior doctors withdrew the strike, but continued the protest. They said that we are returning to work because a large number of patients are getting troubled in government hospitals. However, they had given a 24-hour ultimatum to the state government. Doctors said – If something happens to anyone, the responsibility will be of the state government. Junior doctors said that we had given 24 hours to the government, but after 24 hours we only got threats. We are being asked to return to the festival, but we are not in that mindset. According to the doctors, in the first phase, 6 junior doctors will sit on hunger strike. If the demands are still not met, this hunger strike will continue indefinitely. If something happens to anyone in such a situation, then the entire responsibility will be of the state government. The six doctors sitting on hunger strike were identified as Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Arnab Mukhopadhyay of SSKM Hospital, Pulastha Acharya of NRS Medical College and Hospital and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra of KPC Medical College. The junior doctors had said on October 1 that the attitude of Mamata government does not seem positive to meet our security demands. We are still being attacked. There seems to be no effort to fulfill the promises of CM Mamata. We have no option left except to stop work completely from today. Doctors had told the Supreme Court – all emergency and essential services continue
In the hearing in the Supreme Court on September 30, the Bengal government said that resident doctors are not working in the in-patient department and out-patient department. In response to this, the doctors’ lawyer said that doctors are working in all emergency and essential services. The next hearing of the case will be on October 14. Doctors had a 7-day confrontation with the state government regarding the previous strike
The previous strike of doctors lasted for 42 days. During this, there was a 7-day confrontation between the doctors and the Mamata government regarding the meeting. After 4 attempts failed, a meeting was held between Mamata and the doctors’ delegation in the CM House on September 16. In this meeting, Mamata had accepted 3 out of 5 demands of the doctors and asked them to return to work. On the demand of doctors, the Bengal government removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal from his post. Manoj Verma took his place. 4 more officials of the Health Department have also been transferred. Apart from this, the posts of 5 more police officers were also changed. On 19 September, the doctors had decided to end the strike. Junior doctors said that on our demand, Kolkata Police Commissioner, Director of Medical Education and Director of Health Services have been removed. However, this does not mean that the movement is over. Our demand to remove Health Secretary NS Nigam and end the threat culture in hospitals is still on. Statue of rape-murder victim trainee doctor installed, controversy increased A statue of rape-murder victim trainee doctor has been installed in Kolkata’s RG Kar College. This statue made of fiber glass has been named ‘Abhaya: Cry of the Hour’. In this, a woman is shown screaming in pain. A controversy has started regarding this statue. Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has called it disgusting and an insult to the memory of the trainee doctor. He said that this is the worst thing ever. At the same time, junior doctors who have been protesting for about two months said that this statue is not of the victim, but it is a symbol of the pain and torture she went through. This statue also reflects our protests. Read Kunal Ghosh’s full statement…
The installation of this statue in the name of the victim is against the spirit of the Supreme Court’s decision. No responsible person can do this even in the name of art. Protests and demands for justice are fine, but the statue with the pain-filled face of that girl is not right. There are guidelines in the country regarding the pictures, statues etc. of ‘Nigrahita’ (rape victim).
