Kolkata:

In another setback for Sandip Ghosh, who was the principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital when a trainee doctor was raped and murdered there last month, a special CBI court has sent him to judicial custody till September 23. Ghosh was arrested by the CBI on September 2 in a case of alleged financial irregularities at the hospital, and has been in the agency’s custody since then.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered the transfer of the investigation into the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run hospital, where Ghosh had been the principal since 2021 – with a brief hiatus in between – from a special investigation team of the Kolkata Police to the CBI on August 23. The order had come after a former deputy superintendent of the facility, Dr Akhtar Ali, had sought an investigation. 

Mr Ali had accused Sandip Ghosh of involvement in the illegal sale of unclaimed corpses, trafficking of biomedical waste, and issuing tenders to select medicine and medical equipment suppliers in exchange for commission. He had also alleged that students were pressured to pay amounts running into lakhs of rupees to pass exams. 

Ghosh was arrested by the CBI after being questioned several times in a span of two weeks. Three other people – vendors Biplav Singha and Suman Hazara, and Afsar Ali, a security guard – were also taken into custody.

After Ghosh was sent to the CBI’s custody for eight days a day after his arrest, he was suspended by the West Bengal government, which has been under fire over its handling of the rape and murder case and a posting given to the former RG Kar principal after he resigned following the crime.

On Tuesday, Ghosh, Afsar Ali, Biplav Singha and Suman Hazara were sent to judicial custody by the special CBI court in Kolkata’s Alipore till September 23.

Protests Continue

On Friday, the Supreme Court had also dismissed Ghosh’s petition challenging the Calcutta High Court order transferring the investigation into the irregularities to the CBI. He had also sought the removal of certain comments made by the high court, and the Supreme Court said no to that as well.

Kolkata and several other places have seen continued protests over the rape and murder of the trainee doctor in the hospital on August 9. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also found herself being attacked by the BJP and other parties and criticised by the victim’s parents after she asked people to return to ‘pujo’ celebrations, referring to the the upcoming Durga Puja festival. 

“It has been a month (since the August 9 incident). I request you return to pujo, return to the festivities and ask the CBI to ensure justice as soon as possible,” she said on Monday. 

Reacting to the comments, the victim’s parents told news agency PTI, “We celebrated Durga Puja with our daughter, we will not celebrate Durga Puja or any other festival for years to come. Her remarks are insensitive.”

BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused the Trinamool Congress chief of treating people like puppets. “(Do you think) they will stand, sit, celebrate and stop protests when you ask them to? The pujo fortnight has not started yet, the demon is yet to be slayed. Be patient, the Mother’s power has awakened, it will cleanse Bengal,” he wrote in a post on X. 

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:

The absence of the CBI’s investigating officer in the rape and murder of the trainee doctor in Kolkata and a 40-minute delay in the arrival of the agency’s lawyer prompted an angry court in the city to wonder if it should grant bail to the main accused. The court also pulled up the agency and said this reflected a “lethargic attitude” on its part.

The developments in court also prompted an attack on the CBI and the BJP from the Trinamool Congress, which has been under fire over its handling of the horrific crime, with the party alleging that attempts are being made to “sabotage justice”. The investigation had been transferred to the agency from the Kolkata Police on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.

Hearing the bail petition of Sanjay Roy – a civic volunteer who has been arrested for raping and killing the trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital – on Friday afternoon, a magistrate at the Sealdah court noted that the CBI’s investigating officer was not present for the hearing. 

As Roy’s lawyer made arguments for bail, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Pamela Gupta was informed that the public prosecutor would be arriving late. While the wait for the lawyer continued, the magistrate remarked, “Should I grant bail to Sanjay Roy? This reflects a severely lethargic attitude on the part of the CBI. It is very unfortunate.”

The lawyer eventually reached about 40 minutes late, prompting the defence attorney to also raise the issue of the delay. The arguments then continued and, after hearing both sides, the magistrate sent Roy to judicial custody for 14 days. 

Reacting to what had happened in the court, the Trinamool Congress said this reflected a “blatant disregard for justice”. 

“The court got angry, waited, and yet no one came. We want to ask what happened. Why is the opposition not reacting to this? It has been over 24 days and over 570 hours since the CBI took over the investigation, what has been the result? The entire country is asking. This shows that the CBI is not taking the case seriously…” Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said.

In two different posts on X, the Trinamool Congress also hit out at the BJP and the CPM.

“Today, during the R G Kar case hearing, the Investigating Officer & Public Prosecutor of @CBIHeadquarters went MIA (missing in action). Is this not an outright insult to the victim? A blatant disregard for justice? Where are the demands for accountability? Have @BJP4India & @CPIM_WESTBENGAL lost their voice?” the party’s handle posted. 

“After 24 days of stalling, @CBIHeadquarters  didn’t even bother to send their Investigating Officer or Public Prosecutor for the R G Kar case hearing. This is nothing short of SABOTAGING JUSTICE!” it said in another post, adding that the CBI should stop “dragging its feet” and the BJP should take out a protest march against this. 

The trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and her body was found on August 9. Her autopsy report, which put the time of death between 3 and 5 am, revealed that several injuries were inflicted on her before she was smothered to death.

Kolkata:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital has found a crucial document showing that former principal Sandip Ghosh gave instructions to the state public works department (PWD) to conduct renovation in areas adjacent to the scene of the crime a day after victim’s body was recovered.

The body of the victim was recovered on the morning of August 9 from the seminar room within the hospital premises.

Sources said the investigating officials secured a crucial document showing that Ghosh issued the permission letter to state PWD to conduct renovation work in a room and toilet adjacent to the seminar hall, which is the scene of the crime.

The investigating officials have accessed that permission letter which bears the signature of Ghosh and is dated August 10, sources said.

Sources said that initially it was perceived that the instruction to PWD to start the renovation work was given by an administrative official of RG Kar under the instruction of Ghosh.

However, on accessing the permission letter it is clear how keen Ghosh was in getting the renovation completed.

On August 13 evening, just hours after a division bench of Calcutta High Court ordered CBI to take over the rape and investigation probe from Kolkata Police, the state PWD staff attempted the renovation work at a room adjacent to the seminar hall from where the body of the victim was recovered on the morning of August 9.

However, that renovation work could not be carried out following massive protests by the students’ fraternity within the hospital premises as soon as the work started.

Sources said that the investigating officials believe that since the document shows Ghosh’s keenness in getting the renovation done, it can be handy in establishing the links between the two parallel investigations by the agency — the first being on the rape and murder case and the second on the financial irregularities at RG Kar.

Incidentally, Ghosh is currently in CBI custody in connection with the financial irregularities case.

The protesting representatives from the state’s medical fraternity have been claiming that the incident at RG Kar was not an isolated case of rape and murder and the victim was killed as she became aware of the irregularities.

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

President Droupadi Murmu – in her first public statement on the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata nearly 20 days ago – said she is “dismayed and horrified”. She said no civilised society can allow women to be subjected to such atrocities.

President Murmu’s Quotes On Crime Against Women

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

New Delhi:
The brutal murder and rape case of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, which has sent shockwaves across the country, has reached the Supreme Court. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is currently hearing the matter.

Supreme Court’s Top Quotes On Kolkata Horror

Shimla:

A silent candle march was taken out at midnight on Monday by a group of people here at The Ridge to demand justice for the Kolkata doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered.

Besides seeking capital punishment for the accused, the peaceful and symbolic demonstration aimed to raise awareness in society and reclaim public places.

People from diverse backgrounds, under the banner of Shimla Collectives, came out with candles to demand “capital punishment for the accused, quick delivery of justice and martyr status for the victim”.

“Capital punishment and speedy justice are the only deterrent to crimes like rape. We are here at this hour to reclaim public places and make them safe for women irrespective of whether it is day or night,” former deputy mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) Tikender Panwar told PTI.

“It is not a crime against a doctor or a woman but a crime against humanity. Many people blame the victim’s clothes as one of the reasons behind such brutal acts but in this case, a resident doctor was raped and murdered at her workplace,” Swati Sharma, a doctor, said.

“Are we safe at night, can I roam at night safely without causing concern to my parents, I do not think so and we want things to change this time,” Saina Malhotra, who joined the candle march, said.

“The march has been organised on the festival of Raksha Bandhan when we tie a thread on the wrist of our brothers for protection. On this day, I would like to call upon all the men in the country to protect every woman because she is someone’s sister and daughter, so respect every woman,” she added.

Umang, a sitting councillor of the SMC, said that the people have come with a hope that the mindset can be changed.

“All of us are here at midnight to give a message that Shimla is still a place where women can move freely even at midnight and would request our brothers to support us to make our country safer for women,” she said.

Lalita Ahuja, an elderly woman, urged parents to inculcate good values in their children and said that it is now time to have rigid laws such as in Dubai to ensure the safety of women in the country.

Besides justice, the demonstrators also sought “martyr status” for the victim who had worked 36 hours before the incident.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the CBI. PTI BPL GSP GSP

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

New Delhi:

The Health Ministry has allowed enhancement of security deployment by 25 per cent at all union government hospitals, official said, amid protests by resident doctors demanding a central law following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital.

Officials said that apart from the standard security protocol, the deployment of marshals would also be approved based on individual demands by government hospitals after they conduct their security assessment.

Official sources, however, said bringing a central law based on the RG Kar case “will not make any huge difference” as the alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor at the Kolkata facility was not a case of patient-doctor violence.

Crimes and rapes are already covered under existing laws, they said.

They further said that 26 states and Union Territories including West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka and Kerala have passed legislations to protect healthcare personnel. In all these states these offences are cognisable and non-bailable.

“So, bringing in an ordinance or even a Central law, that too based on the RG Kar case which was not a patient-doctor violence incident, will not make any huge difference,” an official source said.

They said they have held meetings with some Residents Doctors’ Associations and have explained these aspects to them too.

More so, a committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to look into various aspects of security and facilities at hospitals for residents like duty room, working hours and conditions, and canteen services.

“Hospitals being public facilities cannot be turned into a fortress. We have urged the doctors to call off their strike because patient care is getting affected,” an official source said.

The ongoing doctors’ strike in the national capital over the Kolkata incident completed a week on Sunday, causing difficulties for patients.

Doctors across the country have been demanding quick enactment of a special law to deal with violence against healthcare personnel and implementation of improved safety protocols within medical facilities to ensure a secure working environment for all medics.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “benign” intervention in realising their demands that includes a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel and declaring hospitals safe zones, like airports, with mandatory security entitlements.

Late Sunday, the resident doctors here announced that their strike will continue and decided to provide elective OPD services in around 36 specialities, including medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, ophthalmology and orthopedics, to patients outside Nirman Bhawan on Monday.

They said emergency services will continue as before at hospitals.

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

In caustic comments directed at the West Bengal government after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital and the subsequent vandalism in the campus, Governor CV Ananda Bose has said “vandals and scandals” are marring civic life in the state.

Mincing no words in a wide-ranging interview with NDTV on Friday, the West Bengal governor held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the situation in the state, claimed women medical students have told him that their families want them to leave the profession, and said it was disheartening that such incidents were taking place in a land where one of its most illustrious sons had spoken of the mind being without fear.

Mr Bose also said that he has opened a home in the Raj Bhavan, named after the 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and killed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last week. The woman has been given the name ‘Abhaya’ (fearless) and the governor said students who feel threatened will be valued guests at the ‘Abhaya Home’. 

To a question on the politics that has come to surround the handling of the investigation and the protests by doctors and medical students, the governor said, “Scandals and vandals are marring the civic life of Bengal. I was interacting with some medical students. They told me, ‘Please deliver us from the fear psychosis. Please give us protection. We have no security inside the campus and now there is no security outside.’ That is the wailing of the youth, particularly those in the medical profession.”

“Some of the girl students told me they have nowhere to go, they have no security. ‘Our parents are asking us to leave the profession, give back the bond money. Come back. Life is more important than this,’ they told me,” he said, adding that a girl was afraid the “goons” would follow her to her rural posting. 

‘What Bengal Thinks Today…’

Stating that youth are neither creations of the past nor custodians of the present, Mr Bose said they are the creators of the future and it was distressing to see them having to plead for their security like this. 

“What happens on the street in the name of politics is none of my business. But the fact remains that there is a growing fear in Bengal’s society. There is violence everywhere. And all this is happening in Bengal, about which Gopalkrishna Gokhale once said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. Is this the same Bengal about which Rabindranath Tagore said, ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’? Democracy is plummeting into mobocracy. That is the distressing spectacle that we see around us. That’s what worries me as a governor,” he said.

Abhaya Home

The governor said he has faith in the CBI, which is investigating the case, and detailed a three-pronged approach that he has taken to ensure that the students’ grievances are addressed.

He said he has utilised his powers under Article 167 of the Constitution and given instructions to the chief minister, apart from taking up the matter with the Centre.

The third measure, an interim one, is the opening of the ‘Abhaya Home’ at Raj Bhavan, the governor’s official residence. 

“Any student who feels threatened can come here. They will be honoured guests, valued guests of the governor. Whatever other long-term measures are to be taken, I have already taken up with the state government as well as with the central government, including adequate legislation guaranteeing security for medicos and paramedics… Everything that is possible for confidence building will be done,” Mr Bose emphasised.

President’s Rule?

Employing wordplay and keeping his cards close to his chest while answering a question on the opposition’s demand for President’s Rule in West Bengal, the governor said, “Demand is demand, let’s see what the supply is. As governor, I would like to be circumspect on such issues. The Constitution has many options. I reserve my options at this moment… I do not want to come out in the public domain about what I’m going to do next under the Constitution of India”. 

‘Chief Minister Responsible 1st, 2nd and 3rd’

Holding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for what is happening in West Bengal, the Governor said that while the cabinet has collective responsibility, the buck stops with her. 

“The cabinet has collective responsibility. Whatever happens in the state, the first responsibility is that of the chief minister, the second responsibility is that of the chief minister and the third responsibility is that of the chief minister,” he said.

Mr Bose insisted he has been getting frantic calls from medical professionals all over India, who have told him they are afraid. 

“The medical fraternity stood as a one-man army against Covid and saved this country. We owe it to them. They don’t deserve such treatment. It is said medicines can cure diseases but only a doctor can cure patients. That is the importance of the medical fraternity, including the paramedics. We cannot let them down,” he stressed.