On Tuesday, 13th August, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognizance of the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata. NHRC issued notices to the director general of police (DGP) and chief secretary of West Bengal, requesting a detailed report within two weeks.
The NHRC notification noted that the report should include the status of the police investigation, actions taken against the guilty, compensation details, and initiatives taken to prevent similar instances in the future.
NHRC, India takes suo motu cognizance of the reported death of a junior woman doctor in mysterious circumstances at the state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. May like to refer to the press release at: https://t.co/nDNMC2Tiot pic.twitter.com/x4mNl56taV
— NHRC India (@India_NHRC) August 13, 2024
Last week, a 31-year-old postgraduate student was discovered dead at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, sparking widespread protests by doctors across Bengal, as well as in other states across India. The Kolkata police have set up a special investigation team, which has already detained accused Sanjay Roy in the case.
“Reportedly, the body of the deceased bore scratch marks, indicating that there was some struggle at the time of the incident. The family has reportedly alleged that the victim was raped and murdered,” NHRC said in a press statement.
The NHRC stated that if the media reports were correct, the act constituted a significant breach of the victim’s human rights. It has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, West Bengal, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
Following the murder, protests broke out not only in all state-run and private hospitals in the state but also on the streets, with local residents joining in. Junior and resident doctors at all state-run medical college hospitals are currently on strike, disrupting both the outpatient department and emergency services.
The physicians’ protests intensified on Monday, August 12, after the Principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital was transferred to another institution in the city after resigning earlier that day. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set a deadline for the Kolkata police to examine the matter, stating that if the state police are unable to resolve it by the end of the week, it will be sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court has ordered a CBI probe into the incident and urged the police to hand over all documents related to the woman doctor’s murder case to CBI by 10 am on Wednesday. The Court has also urged agitating doctors to call off the strike, saying they have a ‘pious obligation’.
