[RG Kar Rape-Murder] Top Kolkata Cop & 2 Health Officials Removed Before SC Hearing After Mamata Banerjee-Doctors Meet

The Supreme Court Today (Sept 17) will hear matters linked to the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Between the last hearing and this one, a big development is the CBI slapping evidence tampering charge on Dr Sandip Ghosh and police officer Abhijit Mondal. WB CM announced that most of the doctors’ demands were met. Kolkata Police Chief Vineet Goyal will resign, and Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Gupta will be removed, along with two senior health officials.

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Kolkata: The Supreme Court will hear matters linked to the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud may hear the matter around 10.30 am, according to the cause list.

After a critical meeting with the protesting junior doctors, WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that she has conceded to three out of the five primary demands put forth by the protesting medical professionals.

This includes the removal of two senior officials from the health department and the Chief of Kolkata Police. Additionally, the head of the police for the city’s north zone, where the RG Kar Medical College is situated—the hospital that witnessed the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor—will also be removed.

Despite this development, the protest and the ceasework are anticipated to continue until formal orders are issued, likely by morning.

“I think the meeting was positive. Am sure they think too,” Ms. Banerjee remarked optimistically. “Or why else we will sign the minutes of the meeting and they would sign it too?”

-she further added.

Ms. Banerjee emphasized that 99% of the doctors’ demands had been accepted, stating,

“because they are our younger brothers.”

She went on to say,

“I know they say they will go and discuss and then will decide on lifting the ceasework. But I have requested them to do so, citing the condition of patients, especially in view of the floods in some of the districts.”

The Continuing Protest

While the state government’s concessions are seen as a major win for the junior doctors, the protest isn’t over just yet. The atmosphere at the protest site, however, was celebratory, with the junior doctors declaring their movement a “big victory” after 38 days of unrest.

However, the representatives from the Junior Doctors’ Forum made it clear that they would only consider lifting the protest once the government’s promises are officially delivered.

“We have only received their verbal assurance,”

-noted a spokesperson for the Forum.

The doctors are not solely focused on this issue; they are also committed to dismantling what they describe as a “nexus of corruption” within the hospital system.

“We will also continue the agitation for the removal of the health secretary,”

-added another representative from the group.

What the State Promised

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to the demands for an improvement in hospital infrastructure, with Rs 100 crore earmarked for this purpose. In terms of removing the two senior health officials—Director of Medical Education and Director of Health Services—Ms. Banerjee clarified that while they would be transferred, it would be to “appropriate posts.”

“We are not dishonouring them. They have not been in the post for long and have done nothing wrong. But since the students said they do not have trust in them, we have accepted,”

-the Chief Minister explained.

Regarding Kolkata’s Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal, who has faced numerous calls for his removal, particularly after accusations of police involvement in evidence tampering in the aftermath of the rape-murder case on August 9, Ms. Banerjee stated that he would be retained at least until the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.

Despite his multiple offers to resign, she has insisted on his continuation. Both the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court have raised concerns over the police’s handling of the case.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is leading the probe into the tragic incident, has recently arrested the hospital’s former Principal, Sandip Ghosh, along with a senior officer from the local police force.

The “Fifth and Final Invitation for Talks”

Mamata Banerjee’s late-night announcement came after an intense two-hour meeting with the protesting doctors, followed by an additional two and a half hours spent typing out the minutes of the meeting. Before this, the state government had referred to the session as the “fifth and final invitation for talks.”

The junior doctors had previously rejected two earlier attempts at negotiations with the Chief Minister. On this occasion, around 30 doctors arrived at Ms. Banerjee’s residence at 6:20 p.m., escorted by a pilot police vehicle. The meeting, originally scheduled for 5 p.m., eventually commenced at 7 p.m. and concluded at 9 p.m. Thereafter, the process of formalizing the minutes began.

In an effort to ensure accuracy, the doctors brought their own stenographers to document the meeting. Ultimately, 40 doctors signed the final document.

The standoff between the government and the doctors, which has lasted for more than a month, has centered around their demand for justice in the case of the 31-year-old doctor’s rape and murder. The Supreme Court had previously ordered the doctors to end their ceasework and return to treating patients, whose care had been severely impacted.

While this order did halt the spread of the protests across India, where doctors had stood in solidarity with their Bengal counterparts, the doctors in Bengal remained resolute, intensifying their demonstrations. This ongoing protest was further bolstered by widespread public support, with many common people backing the doctors’ cause.

The Rape-Murder That shocked The Country

The 31-year=old doctor was raped and murdered at the Kolkata hospital on August 9. Her partially clothed body was found at the hospital’s seminar room the next morning.

The prime suspect, who has been arrested, is Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, who was stationed at the police outpost at the hospital and had access to all departments.

But the investigation had left too many questions unanswered — including the various distorted versions told to the parents one of which was the claim that their daughter has died by suicide.

There were also allegations that the police had forced the cremation despite the parents’ unwillingness and one officer had even offered them money to bury the case.

There was the construction near the site of the crime, mob attack on the protesters at RG Kar hospital on the night of August 15 and the transfer of Sandip Ghosh to a top hospital hours after he submitted his resignation.

The courts questioned why the former principal had not file a complaint for a timely First Information Report, the lapses in postmortem report and the associated papers. The case was handed to the CBI, which first arrested Ghosh in connection with the parallel corruption case they are investigating and then for alleged evidence tampering.

The sequence of events led to spiralling protests that spread across the country, already outraged over the shocking crime.

Key 10 Developments in the Case

• Missing Document at the Last Hearing: During the September 9 hearing, a critical document related to the autopsy was found to be missing. The court had instructed the West Bengal government’s counsel, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, to present the document, which is issued when a body is handed over for autopsy after an inquest. The state requested additional time to locate it.

• Importance of the Missing Document: The CJI emphasized the importance of the document, which contains a column detailing the clothes and articles sent with the body for autopsy. Justice JB Pardiwala noted, “If this document is missing, then something is amiss,” urging the state government to provide a clear explanation.

• Court Orders to Doctors: On September 9, the Supreme Court had directed the protesting doctors to resume their duties by the following day. The court assured them that no action would be taken if they complied with the deadline.

• Protest Continues Despite Court Orders: Junior doctors in Kolkata refused to return to duty, despite the court’s directive. They asserted that the government and the court should not overlook the fact that this is a “people’s movement” and maintained their stance to continue the agitation until their demands were fully met.

• Government-Doctors Negotiations: A series of exchanges via mail took place between the West Bengal government and the junior doctors. The doctors demanded justice for the victim in the rape-murder case and sought the removal of top officials, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner.

• Meeting with the Chief Minister: After multiple canceled meetings over disputes regarding the videography of the proceedings, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee finally met with the protesting doctors yesterday to discuss their demands.

• Government Agrees to Key Demands: Following the meeting, Mamata Banerjee announced late at night that the government had agreed to most of the doctors’ demands. She stated that Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal had agreed to resign, and Deputy Commissioner of Police for North Kolkata, Abhishek Gupta, would also be removed. Additionally, two senior officials from the health department would be relieved from their current posts.

• Doctors’ Response to the Victory: The junior doctors hailed the government’s decision as a major victory in their 39-day-long agitation. However, they have reiterated that they will only return to duty once the government acts on its promises.

• CBI’s Evidence Tampering Charge: Between the last Supreme Court hearing and the upcoming one, a significant development has occurred. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed evidence tampering charges against Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College. Additionally, Tala Police Station’s officer-in-charge, Abhijit Mondal, has also been arrested on similar charges.

• Details of the Crime: The victim, a postgraduate trainee doctor, was found dead in a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College on the morning of August 9. A medical examination confirmed that she had been raped before her death. Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer who frequented the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the crime. The incident has sent shockwaves across the country and sparked widespread protests demanding justice.

Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Rape & Murder of a Doctor in Kolkata

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