The Supreme Court has taken up the case of the horrible rape-murder of a young doctor in Kolkata, which has shocked the nation. Today’s hearing will be conducted by a three-judge bench chaired by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
The CBI is currently investigating the matter, which has raised a number of concerns about the integrity of the evidence, the rule of law, the protection of medical personnel, and the general problem of women’s security in the workplace. Additionally, it has put pressure on the ruling Trinamool Congress, since women, who are Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ardent supporters, are furious.
A week ago, the Calcutta High Court issued an order transferring the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The woman’s parents appealed the police investigation, not happy with the findings, and the court ruled accordingly. The Chief Minister had promised that the Central agency would be contacted if the police were unable to solve the matter by August 18. However, this promise was superseded by the order.
A few hours after Sandip Ghosh’s resignation, the Mamata Banerjee government moved him to become the principal of RG Kar Medical College, which dramatically changed the political trajectory of the case. After receiving hurtful remarks on social media, Ghosh resigned from both his government job and the position. The High Court has put him on an extended leave of absence.
Making its displeasure clear, the High Court said, “Even assuming the resignation was not accepted, the least that can be expected from a responsible higher official of the concerned department is to immediately relieve the Principal from his duties and not assign him any other duty of equal responsibility”.
Since the beginning, there have been concerns expressed about how the police handled the case, including the postmortem report, the quick arrest of a community volunteer, and the delay in letting the woman’s parents view the body.
While ordering a CBI probe, the High Court had said, “Even after a lapse of five days there appears to be no significant progress in the investigation… we would be well-justified in accepting the plea raised by the writ petitioners, more particularly, the parents of the victim that there is every possibility that the evidence will be destroyed and the witnesses will be influenced”.
The woman’s body had nine internal and sixteen exterior injuries, according to the postmortem report. The reports of fractured bones that had taken over social media were unfounded. There was no mention of gangrape or 150 mg semen, but doctors have said off-the-record that it is impossible for one attacker to cause such severe damage.
The government and the police are alleged to have conspired in a huge cover-up by the BJP. Their allegation got a boost after a midnight attack on the hospital on August 15, as the statewide women’s “Reclaim the Night” demonstration was on. As the 40-plus mob wrecked the emergency department, the BJP said it was another attempt at obliterating evidence.
After a 36-hour shift, the second-year postgrad had gone to an empty seminar room alone on Thursday night to get some rest as the hospital has no on-call room. Her partially clothed body, bearing multiple injuries, was found there the next morning. The prime suspect is Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police who was stationed at the police outpost at the hospital and had access to all departments.
The CBI has now been questioning Sandip Ghosh – there have been four sessions. The accused will also undergo lie-detector test soon, sources have said. Turning up the heat, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said, “It has been five days and there has not been a single update from the CBI. Also, the only arrest in the case is the accused caught by Kolkata Police”.
