In order to seek justice for the woman doctor who was raped and killed at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, medical professionals in West Bengal have stopped working and called for an ongoing strike.
On Monday, August 12, doctors nationwide went on strike to express their outrage in the Kolkata doctor murder case, where a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee woman doctor who was killed on Friday while performing her duty at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical Hospital.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) issued a protest appeal demanding justice for the victim in the Kolkata doctor murder case. Meanwhile, medical professionals in West Bengal have suspended work and declared an indefinite strike. Patient treatment is anticipated to be significantly disrupted by the physicians' strike.

Kolkata Doctor Murder Case: What actually happened

The body of a female doctor was found with injuries in the seminar hall of RG Kar Hospital on Friday morning. The last call she had was with her mother at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Thursday, August 8, while she was on night duty.

After completing her nighttime rounds assignment, she had dinner with two younger doctors and then went to the seminar hall at around 2 a.m. to sleep for the rest of the night. When two more doctors came to call her on Friday morning, they found her body partially clothed. After ruling out suicide, the police filed a report at the Tala Police Station.

Kolkata doctor murder case
Image Source: Portea Medical

A police officer was quoted by PTI as stating, "This is not a case of suicide; the woman was murdered following sexual assault." However, there were no CCTV cameras in the seminar hall on the fourth floor of the emergency building where the victim, a postgraduate trainee in chest medicine, passed away.

"She went to the seminar room because there was no separate on-call room to rest," stated a hospital doctor who wished to stay nameless. The police questioned five people who were with her on Thursday night when they were on night shift in this Kolkata doctor murder case. The lady doctor was discovered semi-naked on a blue mattress, wearing a pink kurti and a white top. This information is reported in the inquest report. The mattress was covered in blood and had a lot of hair strands.

More importantly, an undergarment and a pair of jeans were discovered close to the body. A hair clip was discovered close to the intimate areas. The Tala police station has received a complaint alleging rape and murder from the doctor's family.

Autopsy reports

According to the preliminary autopsy report for the Kolkata doctor murder case, she had suffered sexual abuse prior to her murder.
Ten injuries, ranging from the eyes to the ankles, are listed in the four-page autopsy report. These injuries include bleeding from her mouth, eyes, and intimate areas of her body.
Her lips, left leg, right hand, ring finger, neck, and face were all injured.

She had cuts all over her face and nails, and she was bleeding from the mouth and eyes. The victim's intimate areas were also bleeding. According to the report, she reportedly sustained injuries to her lips, left leg, abdomen, right hand, and ring finger.

The lady doctor's neck bone was also discovered to be broken, according to a senior police official who was cited by PTI. It appears that she died via suffocation after first being strangled. He continued, "We are awaiting the whole autopsy report, which will assist us in identifying the perpetrators. The policeman added that the burglary happened between three and six o'clock.

As reported by PTI, two women and the mother of the deceased observed the autopsy, which was carried out in real time to get a better idea of the Kolkata doctor murder case.

The Kolkata Police have identified and detained a suspect in the case, Sanjay Roy. He is an outsider with easy access to various hospital departments because of his work as a civic volunteer on the police welfare board. According to News18, Roy was arrested after his activities were discovered to be highly suspicious.
According to accounts, Roy was tracked down after detectives discovered a bluetooth headset at the crime scene of Kolkata doctor murder case. Police then searched down the CCTV footage that showed him at the crime scene.

When questioned by the police, Sanjay broke down and admitted to perpetrating the crime. Police personnel also alleged that Sanjay initially made contradictory answers in the Kolkata doctor murder case throughout the questioning.

"Now, we are trying to find out who else was with him or if he had someone else with him," an official told PTI, adding that police may conduct necessary medical checks on him.

Meanwhile, sources reported that Sanjay Roy works as a civic police volunteer. A civic police volunteer is assigned to assist lower-ranking police officers who have been admitted to hospitals, providing support and assistance as necessary in the Kolkata doctor murder case.

Public uproar

Several junior physicians in different West Bengal hospitals have mounted protest sit-ins and processions in response to the tragedy, which has caused a great deal of outrage among the medical community. They are demanding that those implicated in the Kolkata doctor murder case receive severe punishment.

In protest, junior doctors from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, National Medical College and Hospital, and Medical College in Kolkata staged processions and sit-ins with the participation of interns, house staff, and postgraduate trainees. Protests along similar lines took place in other state districts as well.

Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, declared that her administration will pursue the death penalty for the defendants and requested that the Kolkata doctor murder case be heard in a fast-track court. CM Mamata said that she has no problem with central agencies conducting a probe if the family requests one in the midst of the incident's mounting public uproar.

Accompanied by senior police personnel, CM Mamata spoke with the victim's family before addressing the media and stating, "It is an extremely painful incident. Whoever is involved in the case should be punished immediately. We want this case to be fast-tracked so the judicial process can be swift. I am shocked that despite the presence of nurses and hospital security, this incident still took place... I have told the police that the victim's parents have also indicated that someone from inside is involved. We have removed the Principal, MSVP, HOD, and the ASP from this hospital."

"We have deployed the dog squad, video department, and forensic department to investigate the Kolkata doctor murder case," she continued, providing details about the ongoing inquiry. “We would turn the issue over to the CBI if Kolkata Police cannot resolve it by Sunday."

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