Kolkata:

The father of the 31-year-old doctor, who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, got a phone call Friday morning. The caller said his daughter had died by suicide. When he rushed to the hospital, he learnt that his daughter’s body was found in the seminar hall, half-clothed and with bruises. The investigation later revealed that the doctor had been raped and murdered.

“The Assistant Superintendent of chest medicine department called and said, ‘your daughter died by suicide’. And then we saw the reality when we reached the hospital,” the woman’s father told the media, adding that the official did not name himself during the call.

The father’s remarks have triggered allegations that the college administration attempted a cover-up after the woman doctor’s body was found. According to the probe, she had dinner on Thursday night with four other colleagues on night duty. Police are also speaking to them, among others, to get to the bottom of the matter.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who frequented the hospital, has been arrested and police said if more culprits are involved, they would be taken into custody over the next four-five days.

Top Doctors Summoned

The Assistant Superintendent and Head of Department of the Chest Medicine wing of the state-run hospital have been summoned to find out why the woman’s family were told she died by suicide.

The woman’s mother has told the media that even after they reached the hospital, they were not allowed to see the body. “I fell at their feet, begging them to let me see my daughter. But they did not. No one understands what I went through. They let us see her at 2 pm.”

The family members have told the media that the victim called her mother that night and told her to have dinner. “We were planning her wedding next year,” a relative said.

The family said they won’t get their daughter back, but want her to get justice. “She went to serve the people and ended up sacrificing herself. We just want justice, we don’t want anything else.”

Principal Quits, Gets New Role

Authorities of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have come under the scanner for their initial response to the chilling incident. Principal Dr Sandip Ghosh resigned yesterday, saying that he can’t take the humiliation and criticism on social media over comments he claimed had been falsely attributed to him.

Subsequently, in a development that drew strong criticism, Dr Ghosh was named principal in another medical college in Kolkata. Students of the Calcutta National Medical College in the city have opposed this move, questioning how the Principal who failed to ensure safety on one campus can succeed in another. The students have also locked up the doors of the Principal’s office, saying they won’t let him join work.

The BJP has, meanwhile, accused the state government of attempting a cover-up. “Mamata Banerjee has replaced Sandip Ghosh, the controversial Principal of RG Kar MCH, and replaced him with Dr Suhrita Paul, currently the OSD at Swasthya Bhawan. This is another attempt to plant a TMC apologist, with a checkered past, to the sensitive position, with the sole objective of influencing probe and eliminating all evidences,” party leader Amit Malviya has said. 

‘Insider’ Involved?

The woman’s family has alleged someone in the chest medicine department could be involved in the horrifying crime. “We want a probe against the whole chest department. We think someone on the inside is involved,” they have told the media. “What is the guarantee that it was a supari murder?” Asked if his daughter had enmity with anyone in the department. “No, but anyone can be jealous.”

The family has also raised this suspicion when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal visited them.

“There were nurses and security, I am still unable to understand how this incident took place. Police have informed me that there was someone inside,” Ms Banerjee said yesterday.

The state government has given the city police time till Sunday to complete the investigation, failing which it will recommend a CBI probe into the matter.

New Delhi:

Women in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal will take to the streets late tomorrow night as part pf a massive protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protest, which will begin at 11.55 pm tomorrow, has been described as, “For women’s independence on the midnight of independence”.

Posters sharing locations of the protest are being shared on social media, with new spots being added as more and more people across the state suburbs join it. Men have also decided to join the protest in large numbers to show their solidarity with the cause. Several prominent figures, including actor Swastika Mukherjee, actor Churni Ganguly and filmmaker Pratim D Gupta, have called upon people to join the midnight gathering at the meeting point most convenient to them.

Kolkata has been shaken by the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the state-run hospital while she was on night duty. The doctor was found dead on Friday morning in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the northern part of the city. She had injuries on her eyes, face, mouth, neck, limbs and private parts.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who frequented the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the case.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given the city police time till Sunday to complete the investigation, failing which the state government would recommend a CBI probe if the victim’s family wants. She has said the state government has nothing to hide.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has said they are speaking to everyone who was near the place of occurrence at the time of the incident. “We are certain that if there are other culprits, they will be arrested within the next four to five days,” he said.

Kolkata:

Sanjoy Roy, accused of raping and murdering a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was not a hospital employee, but was frequently seen in buildings on the campus.

Roy worked as a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police. Civic volunteers are contractual staff recruited to assist cops in various kinds of work, including traffic management and disaster response. Paid around Rs 12,000 a month, these volunteers do not enjoy the facilities available to regular police personnel.

According to reports, Roy joined Kolkata Police’s disaster management group as a volunteer in 2019 but later shifted to police welfare cell. He then moved to the police outpost at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and had access to all departments. Roy, reports say, was part of a racket in the state-run hospital that charged patients’ relatives for ensuring admission. He would also charge patients’ relatives for finding a bed at nearby nursing homes if they did not get a bed at the government hospital.

Despite not being a regular cop, Roy used his contacts to stay at the police barracks at times. He roamed around in a t-shirt with KP (Kolkata Police) written on it. His bike too had a KP tag. He introduced himself as a Kolkata Police personnel and many other civic volunteers, reports say, thought he was actually a cop.

According to reports in local media, Roy admitted to the crime soon after police started questioning him. The reports say he showed no remorse and said nonchalantly, “Hang me if you want”. His mobile phone was full of pornographic material, it is learnt.

Roy was arrested after a CCTV camera on the hospital premises captured him entering the emergency building around 4 am on Friday; the doctor’s body was found in the same building hours later. Another big clue was a Bluetooth headset found next to the victim’s body. The CCTV footage showed the headset round Roy’s neck when he enters the building. It was missing when he exited. The headset next to the victim’s body also paired with his phone.

According to sources, Roy went home after committing the heinous crime and washed his clothes to destroy evidence. Police have, however, found bloodstains on his shoes. The accused has been remanded in police custody till August 23.

The doctor’s horrifying rape and murder on duty have sparked nationwide protests. Amid the agitation, the principal of the medical college has resigned. Questions have been raised on the safety of doctors if everyone enjoyed unabated access to the premises at odd hours too.

More on this: Principal Quits After Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder, Protests Across India