Remember Vandana Das? She was the Kerala doctor who was brutally stabbed to death by a criminal at the Kottarakara Taluk Hospital on May 10, 2023.
Now, a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was found brutally murdered after being sexually assaulted on August 9.
The incident has sparked a nation-wide outrage and brought into focus the question about the safety of doctors, particularly women doctors, and patients in hospitals across the country.
Services at the Outpatient Department in several hospitals in many parts of the country remained disrupted on Tuesday as well as doctors staged protests demanding justice for the victim.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), in a press statement issued on August 10 condemned the "existing situations which enabled this crime to be committed with impunity inside the campus." The statement added: "If safety and security cannot be ensured in the citadels of learning it only indicates the incompetancy of the administration."
The IMA recalled that not long ago another young resident woman doctor was stabbed to death in the casualty of a Taluk hospital in Kerala.
A 22-year-old Kerala doctor Vandana Das was working at the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital as a part of her internship training when on May 10, 2023, a crime suspect brought for medical examination by the police stabbed her to death with a scissors.
The IMA noted that "Increasing evidence of the toxic environment prevailing in work places of doctors is highly disturbing. Doctors especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses."
In this particular (Kolkata) incident, the principal of the medical college Dr Sandip Ghosh, instead of standing with the doctors and the victim's family was accused of victim blaming. He reportedly questioned "why the second-year postgrad had gone to an empty seminar room alone at night?"
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari targeted Dr Sandip Ghosh and demanded his suspension. "His misleading statements and carefree attitude in the aftermath of this tragic incident expose his indifference towards the victim," Adhikari said in a post on X.
Following the backlash and protests by the doctors, Sandip Ghosh was forced to resign. However, soon he was rewarded with the post of principal, Calcutta National Medical College.
Meanwhile, amid pressure on her government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the victim's family on Monday and gave the police a seven-day deadline to make progress in the case, failing which she said the case would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The IMA had demanded an "impartial thorough investigation of the case and punishment of the culprits." It also sought a detailed enquiry into the conditions enabling the crime and urgent steps to improve the safety of doctors especially women in workplace.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) on Monday announced a nationwide pause in elective services in hospitals. In a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, according to a report, FORDA described the Kolkata incident as "perhaps the greatest travesty to have occurred in the history of the resident doctor community".
Sanjoy Roy, who is accused of raping and murdering the young doctor, worked as a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police.
Roy, NDTV quoting reports said, was part of a racket in the state-run hospital that charged patients' relatives for ensuring admission. He would also charge patients' relatives for finding a bed at nearby nursing homes if they did not get a bed at the government hospital.
Despite not being a regular cop, Roy used his contacts to stay at the police barracks at times. He roamed around in a t-shirt with KP (Kolkata Police) written on it. His bike too had a KP tag. He introduced himself as a Kolkata Police personnel and many other civic volunteers, reports say, thought he was actually a cop, the report revealed.
Quoting reports in local media, NDTV added that Roy admitted to the crime soon after police started questioning him. The reports say he showed no remorse and said nonchalantly, "Hang me if you want". His mobile phone was full of pornographic material, it is learnt.
Roy was arrested after a CCTV camera on the hospital premises captured him entering the emergency building around 4 am on Friday; the doctor's body was found in the same building hours later. Another big clue was a Bluetooth headset found next to the victim's body. The CCTV footage showed the headset round Roy's neck when he enters the building. It was missing when he exited. The headset next to the victim's body also paired with his phone.
According to sources, Roy went home after committing the heinous crime and washed his clothes to destroy evidence. Police have, however, found bloodstains on his shoes. The accused has been remanded in police custody till August 23, the NDTV added.
