Kolkata doctor rape-murder case Highlights: Centre writes to Bengal govt. for CISF deployment at RG Kar hospital

West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Wednesday paid a visit to the residence of the woman doctor who was raped-murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Mr. Bose, who returned from Cuttack, went to the doctor’s residence and spoke to her parents.

Around 150 personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are being deployed at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital following an order of the Supreme Court, official sources said on Wednesday.

A day after the apex court’s order, the Union Home Ministry wrote to the West Bengal chief secretary seeking deployment of the CISF at the State-run hospital. Subsequently, a decision has been taken for the deployment of the CISF, the sources said. - PTI

The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) on Wednesday condemned recent “horrendous, violent and brutal” crimes against women and young girls, and sought immediate and comprehensive reforms to protect them.

“The SCWLA is deeply shocked, traumatised, agonised and pained by the recent spurt of crimes against women, girls and infants, who come from various walks of life, caste, class and age, which were reported in Kolkata, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other parts of India at the hands of brutal, insensitive, perverted perpetrators,” the statement said. 

In a statement, the association, led by its president and senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, sought a complete and effective ban on online pornography and obscenity on OTT platforms, along with the installation of CCTV cameras across workplaces and institutions. - PTI

The Union home ministry on Wednesday wrote to the West Bengal chief secretary seeking deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, official sources said.

The directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) came on the order of the Supreme Court.

A CISF team, led by a DIG rank officer, Wednesday morning surveyed the hospital complex where a 31-year-old trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered earlier this month. - PTI

West Bengal Pradesh Congress workers on August 21 staged a rally in Kolkata to protest the rape-murder of a woman doctor at the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Senior leaders, including former PCC president Abdul Mannan and veteran leader Pradip Bhattacharya, along with other party members, were stopped at Central Avenue near the police headquarters and detained, they added. - PTI

A former deputy superintendent of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation against its former principal Sandip Ghosh, alleging financial irregularities by him during his tenure at the State-run facility.

Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj granted permission to Akhtar Ali to file the petition, seeking an order directing the Enforcement Directorate to probe alleged financial irregularities against Dr. Ghosh.

Mr. Ali had earlier claimed that he had complained against Dr. Ghosh in 2023 to the West Bengal government authorities. - PTI

BJP workers led by West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar staged a protest in Kolkata demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the wake of Supreme Court’s observation in the rape and murder case of trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said their demand was the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and that the protest would continue till September 5.

Sukanta Majumdar said, “Yesterday’s verdict of the Supreme Court shows that the Court does not have faith in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal Government and that the Commissioner of Police should be removed immediately. Atrocities on women are taking place in the State one after the other under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. This shows that Mamata Banerjee has no control over the administration, so it is our demand that she should resign. We are going to protest until 5th September.”

West Bengal BJP general secretary Locket Chatterjee said they demanded justice for the victim of the rape and murder. He said, “The entire country and West Bengal is demanding justice and if Mamata Banerjee is not able to provide justice, she should resign. She stood on the streets against her government. We want either justice or CM’s resignation. Supreme Court has clearly shown that it does not have faith in the police. Police should provide all the evidence to CBI but it is doing the opposite. Mamata Banerjee is trying her best so that former Principal Sandip Ghosh is not arrested.” - PTI

The AIIMS-Delhi administration appealed to the striking resident doctors to resume duties in the interest of patient care, saying a collaborative internal security audit will be conducted to assess safety and security measures within the campus.

Two committees have also been constituted by the administration to look into safety issues at the institute and other concerns of the doctors.

Resident doctors of AIIMS have been on strike demanding a Central legislation for the protection of health-care workers following the alleged rape and murder of the woman trainee doctor at a State-run medical college and hospital in Kolkata.

Besides the security audit, the AIIMS administration has also decided to install Al-enabled CCTV cameras at key entry and exit points of the Mother and Child Block on a pilot basis.

AIIMS Director Dr. V. Srinivas said the entire AIIMS family stands behind the cause of safety of all healthcare professionals at the premier hospital and across the country. - PTI

The BJP West Bengal unit demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that the law and order situation in the State has reached its nadir under her rule.

The State BJP unit is holding a five-day demonstration to protest the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor at R.G. Kar hospital.

“The Chief Minister should resign as soon as possible,” State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar told reporters at the demonstration venue at Shyambazar, about half a kilometre away from R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday allowed the State BJP to stage the demonstration for five days to protest the alleged rape and murder of the woman postgraduate trainee doctor. - PTI

Coming down heavily on farmer leader Rakesh Tikait over his reported statement on the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “this is the most shameful statement.”

Mr. Tikait reportedly alleged that the Kolkata rape and murder incident is being used as part of a wider conspiracy to defame the West Bengal government.

“This is the most shameful statement that somebody like Rakesh Tikait could make and that too after Rahul Gandhi says that the entire R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder is a distraction. He said it is a conspiracy against the government of Mamata Banerjee, that it is propaganda being done for the last 10 days,” Mr. Poonawalla said.

“I want to ask Tikait and his benefactors and patronisers in the INDI Alliance: Is the Supreme Court intervention also propaganda and conspiracy? The Supreme Court slammed the Mamata Banerjee government and indicated how there was an institutional cover-up of evidence. Is the Supreme Court involved in propaganda? Is the High Court, which transferred the probe to the CBI, involved in propaganda and conspiracy?” the BJP leader added. - ANI

Students of St.Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, protest against the ‘alleged’ rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at the State-run R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata on August 21, 2024. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

The Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) appealed to the Resident Doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately for the patient care services to be normalized.

See the tweet by ANI that features the letter by the director:

The women’s wing of the Aam Aadmi Party held a protest outside Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, today demanding justice for the trainee woman doctor.

Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters demanded stringent punishment for the perpetrators of the crime.

“Whatever happened in Kolkata was extremely saddening. We have gathered here to demand justice for the victim. We want the accused involved in the heinous crime to be hanged,” a protester said.

Another protester said women are not safe, and this is extremely worrying. “This has been the problem for centuries. How will our daughters step out of home if this is the situation?” she said.

In a united stand against the recent heinous crime at R.G. Kar Medical College, two Kolkata-based startups, GoDial and Calcutta Records, have turned their logos black as a symbol of mourning and protest. The team behind these companies, headquartered in Sector 5, Salt Lake, is deeply disturbed by the brutal rape and murder, as well as the lack of swift justice for the victim and her family.

GoDial, a leading mobile CRM and Sim based Call Center Software for Telemarketing, and CalcuttaRecords, a premier online destination for vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs have taken this step to express their collective grief and outrage.

“We are not just companies; we are a part of this community,” said a spokesperson for the startup. “What happened at R.G. Kar Medical College has shaken us to our core. We cannot stand by silently while such atrocities go unpunished. Our black logos are a statement of our deep sorrow and our demand for justice.”

The teams at both GoDial and Calcutta Records believe that justice delayed is justice denied. They urge the authorities to act swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice and to restore faith in the legal system.

- ANI

Junior doctors from various medical colleges and hospitals across West Bengal today staged a rally to protest the rape-murder and demanded increased security in their workplaces.

The rally, which several senior doctors also attended, was organised by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front under the banner of ‘We Want Justice.’ The rally covered around 4 km, starting from the CGO Complex, which houses the CBI office, and ending at the Swasthya Bhavan, the state government’s health department headquarters in Salt Lake.

The protesters also demanded the presence of the newly appointed principal at the hospital, alleging that she had not been present at her office.

Additionally, the doctors called for a swift probe by the CBI, which has taken over the case from Kolkata Police as directed by the Calcutta High Court.

The Calcutta High Court today adjourned till September 4 the joint hearing of several PILs over the alleged rape and murder case and vandalism by miscreants at the institution since the Supreme Court is already seized of the matter.

The SC also asked the CBI and the West Bengal government to file status reports on August 22, on the progress of their separate investigations into the alleged rape and murder and the August 15 vandalism and violence there respectively.

A division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam said that since the Apex Court orders on the issue covered all issues which are before the high court, it was adjourning till September 4 the hearing of the 14 PILs before the high court in relation to the incidents at the state-run hospital in Kolkata.

- PTI

“BJP stands strongly with the victim’s family. BJP will not leave any stone unturned to bring justice to the victim and her family. From the streets to the Supreme Court, Mamata Banerjee is being criticised,” said BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh.

“On whose instructions that the Kolkata Police tried to destroy the evidence? The life and dignity of the people of Bengal are in grave danger under Mamata’s leadership,” he added.

Watch this video by PTI:

Resident doctors will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi today, the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder incident.

Elective services in several government hospitals across the city have remained suspended due to the protests. AIIMS, GTB, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Maulana Azad Medical College and its associated hospitals have released individual statements urging participation in the silent protest.

After the Supreme Court hearing yesterday, the central government-run RML Hospital had called off the strike, saying, “The Ministry of Health and the Medical Superintendent’s office have assured that all necessary permissions for enhanced security measures at medical institutions have been obtained with a 45-day timeline set for implementation.”

However, within an hour, the RML RDA clarified, “There was some miscommunication, and we apologize for the same. We want to clarify that we stand with our colleagues and other RDAs. We will make our decision only after there is a consensus among all RDAs, and the common decision of all RDAs will be our decision. We stand united.”

Doctors and other medical staff continue to protest against the rape and murder of R.G. Kar doctor trainee on the 13th day of the incident.

Watch this PTI video that covers the protest at Delhi’s RML hospital:

At the very outset of the proceedings, the Chief Justice asserted that the court’s decision to take suo motu cognisance was not only motivated by the severity of the murder at the Kolkata hospital but also by broader systemic issues concerning the safety of doctors throughout the country. He also expressed disappointment over the publication of the victim’s name and photographs by the media, which contravenes existing legal prohibitions.

Watch the video to know more:

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Watch: Kolkata rape and murder case: What the Supreme Court said

In this video we will take you through some of the key directions issued by the Supreme Court in the Kolkata rape and murder case

After the Supreme Court constituted a National Task Force that will make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals, the Resident Doctors’ Association of AIIMS, New Delhi, extended its sincere gratitude to the apex court.

In a press release today, the Resident Doctors’ Association of AIIMS, New Delhi said that they will provide OPD services from Jantar Mantar today to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to patient care.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Resident Doctors’ Association of AIIMS, New Delhi said that they will provide OPD services from Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to patient care.

- ANI

The Kolkata Police has suspended three of its officers in connection with the vandalism at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital last week, officials said.

The suspended policemen include two assistant police commissioners, they said. 

A group of people had entered the medical facility and vandalised its emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store in the early hours of August 15. The violence at the state-run hospital took place amid midnight protests by women in various parts of West Bengal against the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the health facility.

“Three officers have been suspended... Two are assistant police commissioners and one is an inspector,” an official said.

- PTI

Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) takes control of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. A team of CISF reaches the hospital and holds a meeting with police and hospital authorities.

- Shiv Sahay Singh

Watch this PTI video of the CISF team reaching R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital:

Healthcare services remained affected at state-run hospitals in West Bengal, as junior doctors continued their casework for the 13th consecutive day to protest against the alleged rape and murder incident.

Senior doctors have been asked to report for duty in place of the junior medics at several hospitals, even as the state government urged the protestors again to resume work, officials said. Services at outpatient departments and non-emergency units were crippled, as long queues of patients were seen outside ticket counters of state-run hospitals.

“Our stir will continue until we ensure justice for our sister. We understand that patients are facing problems, but our demands are justified,” a junior doctor said.

“We are not issuing tickets until there is confirmation that doctors concerned are present on duty. There is a huge number of patients coming for treatment at the hospital every morning, but doctors are a handful,” a senior medic at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital said.

Some doctors have rescheduled surgeries owing to the absence of the junior medics, he said. The Supreme Court, too, had yesterday requested doctors protesting across the country to call off their strike and resume work.

- PTI

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy may have avoided further confrontation with his party’s government in West Bengal after deleting a social media post on the alleged rape and murder of a doctor, yet he chooses to keep supporting the “spontaneous mass upheaval” against the horrific crime in the state-run hospital.

He indicated his conviction will remain firm even if that “uprising” ultimately puts the party he faithfully served for 13 years in the dock.

“In my entire 56 years of political life, I have never witnessed such a spontaneous upheaval of the common masses. They didn’t bother for a political flag to unite and hit the streets in protest in the middle of the night with a common agenda: justice for the victim and punishment for the perpetrator,” Mr. Roy said.

“My conscience was jolted. I can’t bury my head in sand like an ostrich and pretend all is fine simply because my party thinks otherwise. I am, after all, father to a motherless daughter and grandfather to a granddaughter. My family, too, can get singed someday by such horrors in society. Who will save me then?” he continued.

The now-deleted post already had 1.29 lakh views by then, Roy said.

The MP moved Calcutta High Court after he was slapped with two back-to-back appearance notices on Monday by the Kolkata Police for “spreading rumours” on social media and sought protection. He had initially ignored the summons citing medical grounds and had asked for time for compliance.

- PTI

CBI officers may conduct a polygraph test on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Mr. Ghosh, who resigned two days after her body was found in a seminar hall of the medical facility on August 9, has already appeared before sleuths of the central probe agency for questioning several times.

“We want to further verify Mr. Ghosh’s answers, as there have been discrepancies in some of the replies to our questions. Therefore, we are mulling over the option to conduct a polygraph test on him,” an official said.

CBI officers have put forth various questions to Mr. Ghosh in the last few days, including specifying his role after getting the news of the doctor’s death, who he had contacted thereafter and why he allegedly made the parents wait for nearly three hours before getting to see her body, the official said.

He has also been quizzed over the authorisation of renovation of rooms adjacent to the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital, after her body was discovered there, he said.

-PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday dismissed a fake letter being circulated on social media in connection with the ongoing probe into the rape and murder.

The letter, which is widely circulating on social media carries a signature from a person named “Dr Akash Nag”, ostensibly an Indian Police Service officer working in the CBI.

The official statement reads, “A fake letter in the name of a person named Dr Akash Nag and claiming to be DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, Kolkata under the official banner “Central Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Deputy Inspector General, Anti-Corruption Branch, Kolkata” and addressed to Union Home Secretary is circulating in Social Media through WhatsApp, etc., about the case related to rape and murder of a trainee doctor of RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata.”

“It is clarified that the said letter is fake one. The investigation of the case is being handled by CBI Headquarter, Delhi. Moreover, there is no officer in CBI by the name and designation of Dr. Akash Nag, DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, ACB, Kolkata. The contents of said letter are false and hence vehemently denied,” it added.

-ANI

“There is no democracy in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee government only wants to give protection to criminals and rapists,” said BJP leader Jyotirmay Singh Mahata.

He said this after being detained from Howrah Bridge where BJP supporters were protesting against the rape and murder case.

Watch this video by PTI:

Congress workers in West Bengal’s Siliguri yesterday organised a candle march as a protest against the rape and murder case.

The protestors were seen carrying posters demanding justice for rape victims. Many people including youngsters participated in the march that was held in the evening. Earlier yesterday, doctors of Hyderabad held a candle march and ‘Nukkad Natak’ (street play).

A protestor said even though the CBI is investigating the case, there has been a lot of resistance from the state government but the doctors are hopeful of the CBI probe.

Several doctors in Shimla also held a march towards the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat yesterday, demanding justice for the Kolkata rape and murder victim.