Kolkata:

Amid the ongoing protests against the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Kolkata Police have imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC), around the Medical College and Hospital for seven days, effective from Sunday, 18 August.

In an order released on Saturday by the Commissioner of Police, Vineet Kumar Goyal, it was stated that rallies, meetings, processions, dharnas, demonstrations, and the unlawful assembly of five or more persons are prohibited in the specified area of Kolkata.

“…In exercise of the power conferred by Sub-Section (1) of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, read with Sub-Section (3) of the said Section, I, Vineet Kumar Goyal, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, being an Executive Magistrate for the Metropolitan area of Kolkata as well as the district of South 24 Parganas (within the limits of the suburbs of Kolkata falling under Kolkata police jurisdiction), do hereby prohibit, for a period of seven (7) days from 18.08.2024 to 24.08.2024, or until further notice, any unlawful assembly of five (5) or more persons, carrying of lathis, any lethal or other dangerous weapons, or the commission of any act likely to cause a breach of peace and disturbance of public tranquillity within the specified area in the town of Kolkata,” the order stated.

The imposition was made “in regard to inputs and information received from credible sources, indicating sufficient reasons for violent demonstrations, rallies, and meetings by a section of the public or an organisation, thereby causing a breach of peace, disturbance of public tranquillity, health or safety, danger to human life, and obstruction to doctors, nursing staff, medical staff, and lawfully employed persons in the said area,” the order stated.

On 9 August, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, leading to nationwide strikes by the medical fraternity.

On Wednesday, the protest ground and the hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalised by a mob, forcing security personnel to disperse the crowd.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

The man who was arrested on the charge of raping and murdering a doctor inside a Kolkata hospital returned to his place and went to sleep before washing his clothes the next morning to destroy evidence, a police officer probing the case claimed.

The police, however, found marks of blood on the shoe of the accused, a civic volunteer who is not associated with the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, but used to frequent the place.

The body of a woman post-graduate trainee who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on Friday morning. The civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday.

Protests by junior doctors demanding quick punishment of those responsible for the crime continued for the third day on Sunday, affecting services in government hospitals across West Bengal.

City Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal visited the medical establishment on Sunday for the second time in three days and held a meeting with representatives of agitating junior doctors.

He claimed the probe is “transparent” and urged people not to spread rumours.

“After committing the crime, the accused went back to the place where he was staying and slept till late on Friday morning. After waking up, he washed the clothes he was wearing during the crime to destroy evidence. His shoes, with blood stains on them, were found during a search,” the officer said.

Asked if anyone else was involved in the crime as alleged by some quarters, he said, “As of now there is no evidence of that.” The officer said that the police were waiting for the final post-mortem examination report as they wanted to match it with their probe findings.

The initial autopsy report stated that the victim was bleeding from her eyes, mouth and private parts. There were also injuries on her left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger and lips.

Another police officer said that circumstantial evidence also indicated a possibility that the doctor was first murdered and then raped.

“We are also talking to persons who were on duty on Thursday night till the next morning. CCTV footage is also being checked,” the police officer said.

A team of police officers of the SIT, along with the forensic unit on Sunday, collected samples from the seminar hall of the hospital, a police source said.

The police also reconstructed the crime scene though the arrested accused was not present, the officer said.

“The autopsy report has been handed over to the parents of the deceased doctor today by one of our senior officers. We had a fruitful meeting with the students and we think they are satisfied. As per their demand, we have removed one assistant police officer who was posted here,” the police commissioner said.

Goyal said the police are not trying to hide anyone, and the investigation is transparent.

The IPS officer said that they would soon start a toll-free number for the people to come up with suggestions or complaints.

The agitating junior doctors, however, said that they would continue their demonstration till they were totally “satisfied” and their demands regarding their safety and security were addressed.

The cease work in all emergency and non-emergency services will continue but there, one junior doctor said after the meeting with Goyal.

Junior doctors, house staff and post-graduate trainees (PGT) at various state-run hospitals, who are also demanding security for them in medical establishments, began a cease work since Friday evening. “The government must take significant steps to secure justice for the victim. The incident is not only a reflection of systemic failures at the hospital level, but it also points toward broader societal issues that demand immediate and focused attention,” he said.

In the wake of the agitation, the state health department on Sunday cancelled offs and holidays of all senior doctors to tackle the stalemate.

Support for the agitating doctors came from different corners of the country.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association of India (FORDA) has supported the ongoing strike and called for a nationwide halt of elective services in hospitals on Monday.

The FORDA has informed the Union Health Ministry about their decision.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to seek death penalty for the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police deployed a huge contingent at the hospital on Sunday.

“No one will be allowed inside the hospital premises without proper identification. We will ensure total safety of the health workers in the medical establishment,” the officer said.

The hospital authorities expelled the two security persons contractually employed at the emergency ward for not discharging their duties properly which, in a way, led to the crime against the doctor, another official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)