New Delhi:

The Supreme Court will today hear the case related to the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will oversee the proceedings.

On Sunday night, thousands gathered in Kolkata and across the globe, demanding justice for the victim. These demonstrations were part of a larger wave of protests, organised under the banner of “Reclaim the Night,” a movement calling for safety and justice for women in public spaces.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Hearing

The Supreme Court on August 20 termed the incident “horrific” and took additional measures to address safety concerns within the healthcare sector. The court issued several directives, including the formation of a 10-member National Task Force to develop protocols for ensuring the safety of doctors and healthcare workers across the country.

The court called upon protesting doctors who had been striking in solidarity with the victim to return to work, stating that “justice and medicine cannot be stopped.” 

The case initially faced delays, with the Supreme Court, during its hearing on August 22, criticising the Kolkata Police for their sluggish handling of the investigation. It was not until August 13 that the Calcutta High Court intervened, transferring the investigation from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI began its probe the following day, August 14.

The victim’s body was discovered in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9, bearing severe injuries. A civic volunteer was arrested the next day in connection with the crime, but the investigation has since widened, resulting in the arrest of the college’s former principal as well.

Protests Worldwide 

From the streets of Kolkata to the cities of Europe, Asia, and the United States, the global Indian community rallied for justice Sunday night. Over 130 protests took place in 25 countries, including major cities like Stockholm, Sydney, and New York. Protesters – many clad in black -held vigils, sang in Bengali, and chanted slogans in solidarity with the victim.

The streets of Kolkata were transformed into protest sites as men and women, young and old, took to the streets to demand justice. From forming human chains to holding burning torches, protesters expressed their anger and sorrow for the victim, who they symbolically named “Tilottama” or “Abhaya.” 

“Whenever I think about the torment, the pain experienced by my daughter on that night, I shudder. She had dreams to serve society. Now, all these protesters are my children,” the victim’s mother said at a rally in Kolkata, as quoted by news agency PTI.

A 14-kilometre-long human chain stretching from Shyambazar in North Kolkata to the suburb of Sodepur was also organised. Thousands of citizens, including rival football fans from East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting, stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their call for justice.

Centre vs State 

Amid the protests, a political clash has emerged between the Centre and the West Bengal government, with the former accusing the state of “unpardonable” non-cooperation in extending logistical support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which was tasked with providing security at RG Kar Medical College. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in its application to the Supreme Court, has called the lack of cooperation from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government “symptomatic of a systemic malaise.”

The Centre has urged the top court to direct the West Bengal government to fully cooperate with the CISF, failing which it has requested contempt proceedings against the officials responsible for non-compliance
 

Kolkata:

A civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police was arrested on Saturday for allegedly hitting a protesting student with his motorcycle in an inebriated state on Friday evening. The incident took place when a group of students were protesting against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital and the motorcycle hit one of them.

The civic volunteer has been identified as Gangasagar Golde.

Incidentally, the sole arrested accused in the RG Kar rape and murder case Sanjay Roy was also a civic volunteer attached to the city police.

A complaint has also been registered against one traffic sergeant Tarakeswar Puri, who was spotted getting engaged in a verbal spat with the protesting students after the latter surrounded the motorcycle-borne civic volunteer after he allegedly hit one of the protesters.

A video of the entire event had gone viral. IANS, however, could not cross-check the authenticity of the video.

Late Friday evening, a group of former students of Rabindra Bharati University was protesting against the rape and murder incident at BT Road on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, when the motorcycle-borne civic volunteer allegedly hit one of them.

The other protesters immediately surrounded him and started protesting.

Although initially, the civic volunteer tried to argue with the protesters, at a later stage he was seen apologising to them, in the viral video. However, the protesters refused to let him go.

“We have been pardoning for a long time and that exactly has resulted in the current situation,” one of the protesters was heard saying in the video.

Later, when the traffic sergeant came to intervene and tried to bring out the civic volunteer, the protestors engaged in a verbal spat with him.

Thereafter, since early Saturday morning, the students blocked the busy BT Road and started protesting.

The protests continued till about 9.30 A.M. on Saturday and were withdrawn only after information surfaced that the accused civic volunteer had been arrested.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has issued a statement claiming that he is in fast-track mode in handling requests by parents of the victim of the RG Kar tragedy.

“On the receipt of a heart-wrenching letter from the parents of the victim of the RG Kar horror, Governor rushed to Delhi and presented their grievances before the Home Minister. The Governor apprised the Home Minister of the gravity of the situation and the public protest against the ghastly incident,” the statement read.

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

Kolkata:

The Kolkata Police have made massive security arrangements for the protest march “Nabannno Abhijan”, anticipating violence during the protest in the city today. Nabanno is the state secretariat, from where the Government of West Bengal operates. It houses the offices of the Chief Minister and other top ministers and officials. 

The protest march to the state secretariat has been announced by an unregistered body claiming to be a students’ organisation, to demand justice for the rape-murder of the 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College on August 9. 

The police say they have uncovered evidence of a conspiracy to create trouble and anarchy in West Bengal by “misusing the anger of well-meaning citizens”.

The state police claim they have information that one of individuals who called for the “Nabanna Abhijan” has met the leader of a political party at a prominent Five Star hotel. The police also claim that they have specific intelligence of a conspiracy to create largescale chaos and anarchy to provoke the police into using force. 

More than 6,000 policemen will be deployed to maintain law and order and 19 points have been identified for barricading, a top official has told NDTV. Around 26 Deputy Commissioners of Police will be posted at various points.

The barricading will start at 8 am with major deployment of forces at places like Hastings, Furlong Gate, Strand Road and Kolkata’s twin city Howrah. 

The Trinamool Congress has hit out at the BJP over the call for a “Nabanna Abhijan”. 

The BJP has claimed that under pressure, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has turned to her last line of defense – the police.

The police say they have made special arrangements for students who will be appearing for the UGCNET exams to get to their examination centres.

It is ironic that an organisation that claims to be a student body is planning to cause disruption on a day thousands of students are appearing for exams across centres in the city, the police said. 

The shocking rape-murder has sparked protests by the medical community across the country. In Bengal, thousands of doctors have been on strike since the August 9 incident and have refused to return to work despite appeals from the Supreme Court and the state government.