KOLKATA: A man was arrested on Saturday evening in connection with the sexual assault and murder of a 31-year-old second-year postgraduate student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The accused has been send to a 14-day police remand according to the order of a city court.
Earlier in the day, junior doctors called for a statewide strike protesting against the incident. In various parts of Kolkata, medical students held rallies, condemning the incident and demanding proper security arrangements in all hospitals so that doctors can work freely. This caused disruptions in patient services through the day.
The initial autopsy report confirmed that the victim was sexually assaulted before being murdered. The police arrested a man for his alleged involvement in the crime. According to a senior officer, he was an outsider who had free access to different departments of the hospital. "His activities are quite suspicious and he seems to be directly involved in the crime," the officer said.
The victim was a student of the Pulmonology department. The autopsy also ruled out suicide, they said, adding that a case has now been registered at the Tala Police Station. A senior officer of Kolkata Police said the crime took place between 3-6 am on Friday.
“This is definitely not a case of suicide, the woman was murdered following sexual assault," said an officer.
According to the four-page report, there was bleeding from the woman’s private parts, with injury marks in other parts of the body.
"There was bleeding from both her eyes and mouth, injuries over her face and nails. The victim was also bleeding from her private parts. She also has injuries in her belly, left leg, neck, in her right hand, ring finger and lips," it said.
Two lady witnesses and the woman’s mother were present during the autopsy, which was conducted on camera.
Senior police officers said, “Her neck bone was also found broken. It seems that she was first strangulated and then smothered to death. We are waiting for the full report of the autopsy, which will help us identify the culprits,"
The Kolkata Police has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), including members of the homicide department, among others, to probe the crime.
Earlier in the day, the semi-nude body of the woman, was found inside the seminar hall of the government-run hospital. The deceased was on duty on Thursday night.
Her father has alleged that she was raped and murdered inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and efforts are on to “hide the truth”.
A doctor of the hospital, who did not want to be named, said, "She had dinner with her juniors around 2 am. She then went to the seminar room since there is no separate on-call room to take some rest. In the morning, we found her body there.” Five people, who were on duty with her on Thursday night, have been interrogated, police said.
Health Secretary NS Nigam and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal visited the hospital and held a meeting with senior officials of the medical establishment.
The hospital authorities constituted a three-member panel to probe into the death of the doctor.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, telephoned the parents of the woman and assured them of appropriate action against the culprits.
Banerjee asserted that her government will seek death penalty for the accused in the alleged sexual assault and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor. Banerjee also said she has asked officials to ensure that the case be tried in a fast track court.
The chief minister also said the protests and processions by junior doctors demanding exemplary punishment for the accused were justified. "I endorse the demands being made by the junior doctors," she told a Bengali news channel.
Banerjee said the West Bengal government has no objection to an investigation into the case by any agency, including the CBI, if there is a demand for it. Describing the incident as gruesome and despicable, she urged the junior doctors at various state-run hospitals to carry on giving healthcare services, while holding the protests.
The SFI and DYFI, which are CPI(M)'s students' and youth wings respectively, said they will hold road blockades across West Bengal on Saturday and Sunday to protest the murder.
Meanwhile, PGT doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital have stopped work in all departments, except the emergency ward, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. Several student associations also took out a rally, demanding a swift probe into her death. Several opposition BJP leaders, including MLA Agnimitra Paul, visited the hospital, too, and called for an independent investigation under a magistrate.
Trinamool Congress leader and former national president of the Indian Medical Association, Santanu Sen told reporters, “We want a fair, transparent and thorough probe into the entire incident. The Mamata Banerjee administration has always been in favour of the safety and security of women."
A senior member of the Association of Health Service Doctors, Dr Manas Gumta, alleged that there were attempts to "suppress" the matter.
On Friday police interrogated many hospital students and staff, but did not found anything suspicious. On Saturday they enquired other hospital authorities and the victim's close friend to know whether she had been murdered or it was a case of suicide.
The junior doctors also alleged the lack of adequate security for women working through the night and the absence of basic facilities. The protesters said on Friday night that the emergency room would remain functional but the other departments would be shut till their demands are met. The cease-work continued till late on Friday.
At a meeting with the principal of the medical college, Sandip Ghosh, and other senior officials including medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal Sanjay Vashisth and dean of student affairs Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, the junior doctors placed a charter of demands -
Set up a judicial inquiry committee to probe the death of the second-year postgraduate trainee
Question all personnel on duty on Thursday night
The culprit has to be awarded capital punishment
Install CCTV cameras in each of the departments
Guards need to be vigilant 24x7
A proper duty room with attached toilets has to be set up for doctors
Adequate security has to be arranged at the hostels
The meeting followed a candle light march by the junior doctors from the hospital to Shyambazar.
Several junior doctors, while ruing the lack of basic facilities, said on condition of anonymity that they do not have a dedicated room or cubicle to rest at night.
Several colleagues of the victim said they would rest in a room at night meant for the “sleep test”. But even that room would not be available if any patient undergoes the test.
“Since there is no dedicated room for us to rest, our colleague chose the seminar room after dinner at 2 am. She was found lying dead in that room in the morning,” said a junior doctor in the chest medicine department. “There are no separate washrooms for men and women.”
The junior doctors also alleged that the guards on duty at night would doze off, leaving the doctors at the mercy of patients’ family members and friends, some of whom turn up drunk.
“We have complained about the lack of security to the dean several times. After every complaint, the guards remain alert throughout the night for a day or two and then go back to their usual way,” another doctor said.
Several junior doctors in the pulmonology department also complained of inadequate CCTV coverage across the campus.
“The seminar room (where the postgraduate trainee was found dead) didn’t have a CCTV camera. You feel so insecure at times,” said a woman postgraduate trainee at RG Kar.
(With inputs from PTI)