August 9, 2024, was the day when brutal rape and murder of a trainee-doctor practising at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was reported from the heart of Kolkata, West Bengal.
And we are at the cusp of November 9, 2024, which will leads to three months of unsatisfactory outcome of the investigation into the RG Kar rape-murder case.
On Thursday, the apex court refused to transfer the trial in the case to another state, affirming that the trial will proceed in West Bengal.
However, the manner in which the investigation is proceeding, this has irked junior doctors — medics were also on fast-unto-death protest to seek justice for Abhaya and improvement in the health mechanism of the state — who are not happy with the pace of probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the incident.
As a result, they have given a call of mass convention on November 9 at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in Esplanade area demanding justice for the murdered medic.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum is also dissatisfied with the central probe agency since the charge sheet it filed before the Supreme Court in the medic’s murder case named only one person as accused, who was arrested by the police before the CBI took over the investigation on a Calcutta High Court order.
Several rallies will be taken out in Kolkata on November 9 from College Square to Esplanade along with members of civil society organisations.
There will be similar rallies in different parts of West Bengal.
Junior doctors are of the view that the role of other people involved has not been fully spelt out in the CBI charge sheet. which only named one person directly involved in the crime.
Additionally, medics believe that the CBI’s charge sheet appeared to be largely based on the initial findings of the Kolkata Police. Hence, they wonder whether the CBI had conducted a more in-depth investigation before filing the charge sheet.
Questions raised by medics over CBI’s charge sheet
- They wonder whether the role of other arrested persons including former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh has been entirely investigated.
- It appears like a routine kind of investigation. What steps has the CBI undertaken against higher authorities in the hospital?
- Why did it take five days to send the evidence for forensic examination from the date of collection? (The WBJDF raised concerns that this delay could potentially undermine the investigation and justice for the victim).
Missing details in charge sheet
The WBJDF also pointed out several critical omissions in the charge sheet filed by the CBI against the prime accused, Sanjay Roy. One of the key issues was the lack of details regarding Roy’s activities during a 27-minute window, from 3:36 am to 4:03 am, on the day the victim’s body was discovered. The charge sheet does not account for this time, which the protesting doctors believe could provide crucial evidence.
Silence on key forensic evidence
The doctors also highlighted a concerning omission in the charge sheet related to the discovery of a “sticky white fluid” found on the victim’s body, as mentioned in the post-mortem report. The WBJDF demanded to know whether this fluid was sent for DNA testing, as its absence in the charge sheet raised suspicions about the completeness of the investigation.
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