The Supreme Court is set to hear the case of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, with junior doctors holding torch rallies across the city demanding justice and increased security
The Supreme Court will today hear the case involving the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. On September 26, the Calcutta High Court directed the state government to file an affidavit responding to the accusations made in a plea related to the case.
The court had observed that the allegations of a threat nexus existing in medical colleges are serious if even one or more of these are correct.
In their plea, the petitioners had alleged that they have come across multiple reports regarding the existence of threat culture in state government-run medical colleges and hospitals, sale of answer keys for examinations, bribery, corruption, sexual harassment and abuse of medical students and junior doctors.
On Sunday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma visited RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to assess the security measures. He also interacted with police personnel and toured the hospital’s emergency department.
The trainee was found raped and murdered in a seminar hall of the hospital on August 9. On August 15, a mob vandalised the hospital’s emergency department, a day after the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the rape-murder probe from Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The city police are currently investigating the incident.
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JUNIOR DOCTORS HOLD TORCH RALLIES
On Sunday, junior medics from various government hospitals in West Bengal, along with members of the public, participated in torch rallies across Kolkata, demanding justice for the murdered doctor.
The rallies were organised at several key locations, including RG Kar Hospital, Sagore Dutta Hospital, SSKM Hospital, Calcutta Medical College, and Jadavpur in south Kolkata.
Participants, including doctors and community members, emphasised the need for justice for the victim and heightened safety measures for medical staff in state-run facilities.
On September 27, junior doctors had urged the public to hold protests across the state in solidarity ahead of Monday’s Supreme Court hearing.
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Having returned to work after a month-long agitation, the junior doctors on Saturday expressed their intention to consider resuming total ‘cease work’ in medical colleges, contingent on the state government’s assurances regarding their safety during the upcoming court proceedings.
The rallies converged at various significant junctions throughout the city, such as Esplanade, Shyambazar, Park Circus, and Gariahat.
Organized by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella group representing medics from various medical college hospitals in the state, the rallies also highlighted the need to end a “threat culture” in medical colleges, where students reportedly face intimidation.
At Sagore Dutta Hospital, junior doctors conducted a torch and candle march in protest of an assault by outsiders following a patient’s death on Friday night. The doctors also demanded proper security measures.
