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On 9 August 2024, a second-year postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, was found dead in a seminar hall on the college campus. An autopsy later confirmed that she had been raped and murdered. The incident has sparked significant outrage and nationwide protests which demand a thorough investigation while also questioning the safety of doctors in India.

On 13 August 2024, the Calcutta High Court asked the state police to hand over the case to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while expressing discontent with the investigation so far. They also flagged the possibility of destruction of evidence if the state police continued with their investigation.

On 15th August 2024, the hospital was vandalized by a large crowd which destroyed various sections of the hospital including the area where the victim was found.

Incident

On 9 August 2024, a second-year postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata was reported missing by colleagues. At about 11:30 am, the trainee doctor's body was discovered in one of college's seminar rooms in a semi-nude state with her eyes, mouth and genitals bleeding. She was later declared dead. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped and sexually assaulted and was later throttled to death, with her thyroid cartilage broken due to the strangulation. The report, spanning four pages, also noted a deep wound in her genital tract, lips, left leg, right hand, ring finger, neck, and face. Several doctors who had access to the postmortem report claimed that 151mg of semen was found in the victim's body indicating the possibility of gang rape.

Arrest

Following an investigation, the police arrested Sanjay Roy on 9 August, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police disaster management force and a member of the police welfare association whose Bluetooth headset was found on the crime scene.

Protests

The incident garnered widespread media coverage and triggering outrage across the nation especially within the medical community, as student unions and colleagues of the deceased demanded justice and improved security measures on campus.

In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on Union Health Minister J P Nadda to introduce a special central law aimed at preventing violence against doctors. They also urged that hospitals be designated as safe zones. This appeal follows widespread protests and strikes by resident doctors across the country in response to the heinous crime, raising serious concerns about the safety of medical staff.

On 13 August protests escalated as more than 8,000 government doctors in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, the financial capital of India, halted work in all hospital departments except for emergency services, according to media reports. In New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats staged a protest outside a major government hospital, holding posters that read, "Doctors are not punching bags".

While emergency services stayed suspended on 13 August in almost all the government-run medical college hospitals in Kolkata. Similar protests in cities such as Lucknow, and Goa hit some hospital services. Protests by junior doctors were being held at all the major medical institutions in Delhi and Kolkata including AIIMS Delhi, Lady Hardinge Medical College Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital as well as the R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) on August 12, announced an indefinite nationwide suspension of elective services as a form of protest. The protests were called off on 13 August after a delegation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other groups had met the Health Minister JP Nadda. Several resident doctor's associations in India like the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) as well as AIIMS Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College, R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College Dwarka have continued their stir.

Large protests and candlelight marches were held by the medical fraternity as well as women starting from the midnight of 14 August. The protests were named as "Women, Reclaim the Night" were held in Delhi and Kolkata.

On 15 August, shortly after midnight, police used tear gas and a baton charge as a group of unidentified miscreants masquerading as protesters toppled the barricade and entered the premises of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protesters pelted stones at the hospital premises and vandalised the emergency ward, resulting in several policemen and protesting civilians getting injured. Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal blamed the "malicious media campaign" against the Kolkata police for the violent protest.

Criticism of the TMC Government

The Trinamool Congress Party government has been criticized for lapses regarding the security and safety of women in the state. It has also been alleged that the TMC government deliberately tried to fabricate the case as suicide. The criticism included concerns whether the Kolkata Police are properly investigating the case, leading the High Court of Kolkata to transfer the case to CBI. Additionally, TMC minister Udayan Guha has been accused of using his political powers to suppress the voice of the parents and the protestors by discouraging their participation in the protests.

Impacts

Resignation of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital principal

Sandip Ghosh, an orthopedic surgeon and the principal of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, resigned amid the protests surrounding the incident. He cited an inability to endure the ongoing humiliation from social media criticism and defamatory remarks by politicians. Shortly after his resignation, he was appointed as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College, a move that sparked further outrage. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court directed the government and the concerning authorities to place him on extended leave while also criticising the move of reinstating him as the principal of the Calcutta National Medical College.

See also

• 2019 Hyderabad gang rape and murder case
• 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder
• Rape in India

References

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27. ""Reclaim The Night": Women Seek Justice In Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case, Hold Massive Protests". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
28. "Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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• Current events from August 2024
• 2024 murders in India
• August 2024 crimes in Asia
• August 2024 events in India
• Crime in Kolkata
• Incidents of violence against women
• Rape in India
• Violence against women in India