Kolkata (West Bengal):

The parents of the victim in Kolkata’s RG Kar rape and murder have met West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, requesting the governor to take up their grievances with President Droupadi Murmu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“On 30.01.2025 the parents of the R.G.Kar Medical College and Hospital victim called on HG and submitted a representation. The parents narrated their grievances and pleaded for justice,” West Bengal Raj Bhavan Media Cell posted on X.

“They requested HG to take up their case with the Hon’ble President of India and the Hon’ble Union Home Minister to whom they have already submitted their representations. HG agreed to do the needful. HG assuaged their feelings and indicated that they were not alone in their grief and that humanity stands with them. Justice shall prevail. Officer on Special Duty.”

Meanwhile, the parents withdrew their plea before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking a fresh investigation into the incident.

The plea was filed by the victim’s parents as an Intervention Application (IA) in the suo motu case, which had been registered by the top court in August last year, a few days after the infamous incident took place.

When the case was heard on Thursday, a Bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar asked Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy whether the Court should proceed with the case, as a plea regarding similar issues had already been filed before the Calcutta High Court.

After considering the submissions made in the affidavit filed before it, the Court warned the senior counsel to be cautious with her arguments, as there is already a conviction against the sole accused (now convict) Sanjoy Roy in the case. The Court suggested that Nundy withdraw the plea and file a fresh one, noting that the original plea had been filed by the victim’s parents before the trial and conviction.

Following a brief exchange, the senior lawyer withdrew the plea, with the liberty to file a fresh one as per the Court’s order. On January 20, a Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court convicted and sentenced Sanjoy Roy to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of the victim in the RG Kar rape and murder case.

After the trial court’s decision, there has been an uproar, especially among doctors and medical workers, who are calling for Roy to be awarded the death penalty for his gruesome act. There are also calls for reinvestigation into the matter, as concerns have been raised regarding the manner in which the investigation was conducted.

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

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Wednesday the matter where it has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

As per the causelist published on the website of the supreme court, a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan will resume hearing the suo moto case on January 22.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government on Tuesday approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the verdict of a Kolkata special court awarding life imprisonment to Sanjay Roy, the sole accused and convict in the rape and murder case of the woman doctor.

A division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi of the Calcutta High Court admitted the state government’s appeal seeking a death penalty for the convict.

A day before, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Bengal government would move the Calcutta High Court challenging the quantum of the sentence and the state government would be seeking the death penalty for the convict.

“I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare cases which demands capital punishment. We want to insist upon the death penalty in this most sinister and sensitive case,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

While pronouncing the quantum of the sentence, special court judge Anirban Das said that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) contention that Roy’s offence in the matter was “the rarest and rare crimes” was not tenable. Hence, the judge observed that instead of the “death penalty”, Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, be sentenced to “life imprisonment”.

Apart from that a fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on Roy. The special court, at the same time, directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the victim. It observed that since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, which is a state-government entity, the West Bengal government is legally bound to pay compensation to the victim’s family.

In an earlier hearing held in November 2024, the Supreme Court had remarked that it would not pass any direction to transfer the trial of the ghastly rape and murder case outside West Bengal. A bench, headed by then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, turned down the oral prayer made by a lawyer seeking transfer of trial outside West Bengal.

“Yes, we have transferred cases (of gender violence) in Manipur. But we are not doing anything like that here,” it had remarked. The supreme court had noted that the trial will commence on November 11 at a special court in Kolkata after charges were framed against the “sole prime accused” in the case, Sanjay Roy.

The process of the framing of charges was completed on November 4, exactly 87 days after the body of the woman junior doctor was discovered at a seminar hall within the state-run R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9, 2024.

In October, the CBI filed its first charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, in the alleged rape and murder case. In the charge sheet, the CBI did not rule out the possibilities of a larger conspiracy behind the macabre crime that prompted alleged events of tampering and altering of evidence during the initial phase of the investigation which was carried out by Kolkata Police.

Besides Sanjay Roy, two others arrested by the CBI officials in the matter are RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s former Principal, Sandip Ghosh, and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal. RG Kar comes under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station.

The main charges against Ghosh and Mondal are for misleading the investigation when the Kolkata Police were probing the matter before it was handed over to CBI by the Calcutta High Court. Both have been accused of tampering with evidence in the case.

Taking suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder case of the junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Supreme Court had termed the incident “horrific,” which raises the “systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country”. “We are deeply concerned about the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals,” it had said.

The supreme court had ordered the formation of the NTF (National Task Force) to suggest measures for the security of medical professionals across the country, observing that the safety of doctors is the “highest national concern”.

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

Kolkata:

Expressing disappointment with the CBI investigation, the parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said on Friday that they were heartbroken with the two key suspects in the case getting bail and it seemed like the “system” was failing them.

A court in Kolkata’s Sealdah granted bail to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and former officer-in-charge of the Tala police station Abhijit Mondal in the rape and murder case of the on-duty doctor.

The CBI, which was handed the investigation into the case by the Calcutta High Court, failed to file a chargesheet against the accused within the mandatory 90-day period, leading to their release on bail.

“We thought the CBI would speed up the investigation and bring those responsible to justice. But now, with the accused being granted bail, it feels like the system is failing us,” said the mother of the victim whose body was found in the hospital on August 9.

“Every day, we wonder if this will be another case in which the powerful escape without punishment,” she said.

The arrested police officer was accused of delaying the filing of the FIR in the rape and murder case, while Sandip Ghosh faces charges of tampering with evidence. Both were arrested by the CBI.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Mondal’s lawyer said he would soon be released from judicial custody.

Sandip Ghosh, who is also an accused in a separate case of financial irregularities at the RG Kar hospital, will remain in custody despite the bail in the rape-murder case, according to his lawyer.

“We are heartbroken. We trusted the CBI to deliver justice, but now we are left wondering if we will ever see justice for our daughter,” said the victim’s father.

The rape and murder of the on-duty doctor shocked the state, leading to never-seen-before protests across West Bengal.

The CBI took over the case after the high court intervened following allegations of mishandling by the police.

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

New Delhi:

Routinely ordering the CBI to take over probes not only leads to an “unimaginable burden” on the premier investigative agency, but also has a “very serious and far-reaching demoralising impact” on the officers of the state police, the Supreme Court on Monday highlighted.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan made the remark while ordering an SIT investigation into the alleged torture of a woman in police custody following her arrest during the protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The bench, which modified the November 6 Calcutta High Court verdict upholding the single judge order directing a CBI probe, said, “It is not necessary for us to comment on those reasons except to say that entrustment of the investigation of matters to the CBI not only leads to an unimaginable burden on the premier investigative agency of the country but also has a very serious and far-reaching demoralising impact on the officers of the state police.” The bench did not find it prudent to proceed on the premise that senior IPS officers allocated to the West Bengal cadre were incompetent or inefficient to hold a fair and independent investigation and unearth the truth.

The court therefore constituted a three-member SIT comprising 2009 batch IPS Akash Magharia (DIG Presidency range), IPS Swati Bhangalia (SP Howrah (rural)) and IPS Sujata Kumari Veenapani (DSP (traffic) of Howrah).

“The SIT shall take over the investigation…forthwith, all the records of the investigation shall be entrusted to SIT today during the course of the day and the SIT will start investigation without any delay. The SIT shall be at liberty to associate some other police officers, if so required,” the bench ordered.

The top court urged the Calcutta High Court chief justice to constitute a special bench before which the SIT would submit its weekly reports and seek further investigation.

Senior advocate Narender Hooda, representing the petitioners, sought protection for his clients and submitted the state had invoked provisions under the stringent POCSO Act against a young girl.

The bench further directed the victims to approach the SIT to ensure no harm was caused to their lives and liberties, and the probe team was asked to take necessary steps without any delay.

The bench said, “We have a lot of faith in these young IPS officers… in terms of constitutional ethos, these officers have a lot of responsibilities to come to the aspiration and expectations of the people. So we hope that they understand these things”.

Mr Hooda echoed a similar sentiment, saying he hoped the officers would “rise to the occasion”.

“They have always risen to the occasion. We are not disappointed. We have seen as and when we have entrusted them responsibilities, they have really come out very well,” Justice Kant noted.

On November 11, the top court stayed the October 8 order of the high court directing the CBI probe while asking the state government to submit a list of seven IPS officers, including five women, who would comprise a fresh SIT to probe the custodial torture case.

The order was passed on an appeal filed by the West Bengal government that stated the high court had erroneously ordered a CBI probe while the state police was capable of the investigation.

On November 6, a division bench of the high court upheld a single-judge order directing CBI probe into the allegations levelled by the woman.

The division bench said the order of the single judge to conduct an independent investigation could not be faulted and did not warrant any interference.

Initially, two women petitioners, moved the single-judge bench alleging physical torture while in police custody. The court noted the report of a jail doctor who found signs of hematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood within tissue) on the legs of one of them.

The complainants, Rebeka Khatun Molla and Rama Das, were arrested on September 7 and remained in the custody of Falta Police Station in the Diamond Harbour police district till their judicial remand ordered by the Diamond Harbour court the next day, the high court noted.

The division bench further noted that while the report of the medical officer of Diamond Harbour sub-correctional home states hematoma on both of Das’ legs, the examining doctor of Diamond Harbour Medical College and Hospital recorded no external injury.

Considering the subsequent medical reports of the petitioner, the high court said it was of the prima facie view that the trauma occurred on her on September 7 in police custody.

It observed the discrepancies were serious and warranted an independent agency to conduct the investigation.

The assault and murder of the junior doctor, whose mortal remains were found on August 9, sparked nationwide protests. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day. 

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged torture of two women, who were arrested in September during protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The top court passed the order dismissing Calcutta High Court’s order directing a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the case.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said that not everything could be transferred to the CBI.

The top court also said that senior IPS officers of the state need to be entrusted with the investigation.

The top court said that the SIT, which will comprise senior officers – whose names were submitted by the West Bengal government – would submit a report on the progress of the investigation on a weekly basis to the Calcutta High Court.

“We request the Chief Justice of the High Court to constitute a bench before which the SIT will submit its report…The SIT should investigate without being influenced by the previous comments of the High Court. The victim can immediately contact the SIT,” the Bench said.

The case concerns two women, Rebeka Khatun Molla and Rama Das, who were arrested during the protests outside RG Kar Hospital earlier this year and released a day later.

Shortly after their release, the women moved a plea before the High Court alleging they were “physically tortured” while in police custody. In court, a jail doctor noted that there were signs of hematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood within tissue) in one of the legs of one of the women, however, an examining doctor of Diamond Harbour Medical College and Hospital said that they witnessed no external injury.

The women also claimed that they were “unnecessarily” arrested on the charges that they “instigated” another protestor to make comments against TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s daughter.

On November 6, a division bench of the high court upheld a single-judge order directing a CBI probe into the allegations levelled by the women. However, on November 11, the top court had stayed the order.

Kolkata:

The coming by-polls in West Bengal are expected to be bellwether for which way the political winds are blowing in Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal after the massive protests over the rape-murder of a Kolkata doctor. The protest, strongly backed by the urban middle class, has shaken the state and despite protesters’ claims that it was apolitical, it had received significant support from the opposition.

By-polls are due in six seats in various parts of the state – their geography and demography are expected to be strong indicators of the political trend.

The seats include Naihati, the urban centre close to Kolkata, the minority dominated Haroa, Taldangra with a significant tribal population, Sitai with a chunk of minority and Rajbanshi vote, the tea garden seat of north Bengal. Madiahat and Medinipur.

Many believe that the results now could throw light on whether the RG Kar protests will impact future elections. The Opposition BJP, which has been trying to dislodge Mamata Banerjee for years, is hoping for an upset. 

Of the six seats going to polls, five were held by the Trinamool and one by the BJP. While the Trinamool has claimed it will win all six, anything below five will be seen as a loss. For the BJP, winning Madarihat will be a confidence booster after its performance fell in the region during the Lok Sabha election. 

Senior Trinamool Congress Leader Kumal Ghosh said the Opposition “will try their best to misguide and confuse the voters by misusing this RG Kar issue”.

“But I think we are confident that the voters will realise the facts. They know the regime of the CPIM, they know the happenings in the BJP-ruled states and they know that within 24 hours, Kolkata Police have arrested the criminal, the main rape and murder accused,” he added.

In the BJP stronghold of North Bengal, where Trinamool clawed its way back in the Lok Sabha elections, Sitai is situated near the Bangladesh border and the Madarihat seat is largely a tea garden seat and the only one among the six that was held by the BJP.

The Left, which the Trinamool accuses of hijacking the RG Kar protests, is fighting alone this time and not with the Congress as it has done in the past elections.

“This time in by-elections, since it was due in ten seats and four had already happened, six are taking place,” said senior CPM leader Md Salim. “Time was limited so discussions could not be held because of the change of guard in the party’s state unit,” he added.

Kolkata:

A designated CBI court, while denying bail to former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh, has observed that the nature and gravity of the accusation against him is grave and could attract capital punishment if proved.

The CBI had arrested Ghosh and former officer in-charge of Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal, for alleged tampering of evidence and delay in filing of FIR in the rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run hospital on August 9.

The court in its order, dictated on September 25, said it appears from the case diary that the process of investigation by the central probe agency is in full swing.

Denying the bail prayer of Ghosh, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S Dey observed that the nature and gravity of the accusation is grave and if proved, it may attract capital punishment, which is handed in the rarest of rare cases.

The judge said the court is of the opinion that “it would be injustice flouting the principle of equity to release the accused on bail”.

He said in the order that a person may commit an offence with the help of other/s, and there is no need to be present for the other accused at the place of occurrence.

The court also rejected the bail prayer of Abhijit Mondal.

It granted the CBI’s prayer for judicial custody of the two accused till September 30.

Ghosh’s counsel claimed before the judge at Sealdah Court here that he was falsely implicated in the case and there was no act on his part to commit the crime as alleged.

The postgraduate trainee’s body was found with severe injuries in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital on August 9. 

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

The rage is different this time. Whether it is a case from a Kolkata hospital or a school in the Mumbai suburb of Thane. The dirty secret of the Malayalam film industry is already out in the open. The anger isn’t helped when one learns that even in such heinous crimes, it may take 32 long years to get justice, as in the case involving girls in Rajasthan’s Ajmer in the early 1990s.

But the outrage this time is different, and that gives us hope. It has transcended petty politics. The political class stands discredited. The police administration is frightened. The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance.

The good thing is that this time, the anger is against the powerful system where some predators shamelessly cross all limits while using power or access to it for their own benefits, both carnal or otherwise. The anger is now against the patriarchy that is at the root of all discrimination in the world.

Patriarchy And The Law Of The Jungle

Patriarchy is a disorder that operates according to the law of the jungle. Here, might is considered right. If one has power, they can do anything according to their own will – with their strength, influence, reach, by breaking the system, or by forcibly taking away others’ rights. Sexual harassment is the most perverse manifestation of patriarchy and the jungle raj it represents.

On paper, we have left behind the laws of the jungle, right? But the wild animals still roam the streets in Kolkata, Ajmer, Kochi, Bareilly, Thane, Patna, Satna, Kathua, Hathras… Thousands of names can be added to the list. There are millions of people who still believe in a false sense of superiority that the jungle playbook affords.

But this time, the anger is against those who adhere to these principles. People have begun to realise that the jungle raj serves the interests of a few. It is a kind of democratic upsurge that may lead to far-reaching and sweeping changes.

Those who are wedded to the idea of the rule of law know how beneficial it can be to maintain a safe environment for women. The International Labour Organization (ILO) conducted a survey in 2018 and came up with some startling findings. Where companies struggle to increase profit margins by 2-3%, it was found that increasing female representation on boards raises profit margins by a whopping 5 to 20%.

Some other salient findings of the survey are:

• Increasing female representation raises the likelihood of increased profits and productivity by up to 63%
• Retaining good talent becomes 60% easier
• The chance of innovation increases by 59%
• The company’s reputation increases by 58%
• Understanding consumer behaviour becomes 38% easier

Despite these benefits, changes are woefully slow to come. Look at what a recent UN report says. Worldwide, 270 crore women do not have the rights to the same kind of jobs that men have. Among the 190 countries assessed, 69 have some restrictions on women working in all sectors. And in as many as 43 countries, there are no laws to prevent sexual harassment of women in workplaces. Horrible, isn’t it?

The same UN report also says that worldwide, while only 61% of women attempt to enter the job market; the rate for men is over 90%. And if a woman becomes a mother, only half of them get opportunities to enter the workforce. Men face no such restrictions after becoming fathers. Must be the design of the same set of patriarchal forces.

Why Some Are Scared Of Rule Of Law

The discrimination is beyond comprehension, given the kind of benefits that can accrue if we do away with it. Such discrimination can only exist in a patriarchy-driven jungle raj. 

The question is, why has patriarchy remained so unshakeable for centuries? Clearly, it’s the interests of a powerful few. Those with influence do not want the rule of law to replace this jungle raj. The perks they receive due to their influence make them fearful of losing them under the rule of law.

Some patriarchy exists in all of us – in men and women both. More in some, less in others. However, the rage across the country gives hope that its hold will weaken. It happened after the Nirbhaya movement, and even after the all-powerful MeToo movement that swept the world not too long ago. We all need to fully understand that the destruction of patriarchy is in everyone’s best interest.

Shouldn’t we all unite in our quest to establish the rule of law, a system free from any might-is-right principles?

(Mayank Mishra is Consulting Editor and Vasudha Venugopal is Anchor and Political Editor, at NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Kolkata:

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the Left Front and the BJP have conspired to launch the mob attack on the doctors at RG Kar Medical College who were protesting against the rape-murder of their colleague, which has rocked the medical establishment across the country.  The attack had taken place at midnight as women across the state had hit the streets as part of a “Reclaim the night campaign”. The attackers had vandalized part of the hospital and targeted the police, who had come to control the situation.

The attack has added to the barrage of allegations from the BJP and the Left, who have claimed that it was meant to destroy evidence – a charge the police have denied.  

Mamata Banerjee hurled back the allegation at her accusers today. 

“The Left and the BJP want to create unrest in Bengal and they both have come together to do this,” the Chief Minister said. “The people who vandalised RG Kar Hospital yesterday… are outsiders, I have seen as many videos, I have three videos as I can see, in which some people are holding national flags, they are BJP people, and some are DYFI are holding white and red flags,” Ms Banerjee added.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, early this morning, state BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari had said: “Mamata Banerjee has sent her TMC goons to the apolitical Protest Rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital… They were given safe passage by the Police, who either ran away or looked the other way so that these lumpens would enter the hospital premises and destroy areas containing crucial evidence so that it doesn’t get picked up by the CBI.”

“As they were dumb TMC hooligans they couldn’t execute the plan well and revealed their identity when they vandalised the Dharna Manch of the Resident Doctors, PGTs & Internees,” he had added. 

The allegation about destruction of evidence has come up several times over the last few days — including over the delay in allowing the woman’s parents to see her body and the renovation near the seminar hall, where the woman was found dead on Friday. 

It had resurfaced as the group of 40-odd people had vandalised the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store. They damaged CCTV cameras and ransacked a stage where junior doctors had been holding a protest. The police had to use batons and teargas shells to control the situation. The Kolkata Police said 15 policemen were injured.

Nine people have been arrested so far. 

Ms Banerjee praised the police for their restraint.

“Yesterday, police were attacked… Among them was one Deputy Commissioner (DC) who was there for security purposes, and two Officer-in-charges (OCs). For one hour, they couldn’t be found, and when they were found, they were unconscious and had blood oozing out from their heads. I informed the police at 3 am and had them taken to the Apollo Hospital”.

“I would like to congratulate them that they did not lose patience, they did not hurt anyone,” she added.