Kolkata rape-murder case hearing: The horrific rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata has shaken the country, leading to a Supreme Court intervention. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case today. Here are key points to know about the case
1. The incident has drawn attention to multiple critical issues, such as the sanctity of evidence, law enforcement standards, the safety of healthcare professionals, and, more broadly, women’s security in the workplace.
2. The handling of this case has also put West Bengal’s ruling party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), under scrutiny, with significant public outrage, especially from women, a core support base for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
3. The investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a week ago following an order by the Calcutta High Court. The court’s decision came after the victim’s parents expressed dissatisfaction with the initial police investigation and appealed for a more thorough inquiry.
4. The court’s order overrode Chief Minister Banerjee’s earlier assurance that the CBI would be involved only if the police failed to solve the case by August 18.
5. The case took a political turn when the Mamata Banerjee government transferred RG Kar Medical College Principal Sandip Ghosh shortly after he resigned due to social media backlash. Ghosh not only stepped down from his post but also left government service. The High Court later placed him on extended leave, expressing its displeasure by stating that a responsible official should have relieved him from his duties immediately and not assigned him any significant responsibilities.
5. Since the incident, the police’s actions have faced criticism, including delays in allowing the victim’s parents to see the body, issues with the postmortem report, and concerns over the quick arrest of a civic volunteer. The High Court, while ordering the CBI probe, remarked that after five days, there seemed to be no meaningful progress in the investigation. The court supported the victim’s parents’ concerns that evidence might be tampered with and witnesses influenced.
7. The postmortem report revealed 16 external and nine internal injuries on the victim’s body. However, it did not confirm social media rumors about broken bones, nor did it mention gang rape or the presence of 150 mg of semen. Some doctors, speaking off the record, indicated that such severe injuries are unlikely to be inflicted by just one person.
8. The BJP has accused the state administration and police of a cover-up, especially after a mob attacked the hospital’s emergency department on August 15 during a statewide women’s “Reclaim the Night” protest. The BJP claimed that the attack was an attempt to destroy evidence.
9. The young doctor was a second-year postgraduate student who, after a grueling 36-hour shift, sought rest in an empty seminar room due to the lack of on-call facilities at the hospital. Her partially clothed body was discovered there the next morning, bearing multiple injuries. The primary suspect is Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police who had access to the hospital’s departments.
10. The CBI has interrogated Sandip Ghosh several times and plans to administer a lie-detector test on the accused soon. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose questioned the CBI’s progress, noting that five days had passed without any significant updates. The only arrest made so far was by the Kolkata Police.
