Kolkata Doctor Murder Case: 'Can't Believe This Happened In a Hospital'

A Kolkata doctor was raped and murdered inside a hospital, leading to public outrage and protests.

A civic volunteer was arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College

(Photo: Gurvinder Singh/The Quint)

"Our daughter wanted to serve the society and save the lives of others. And look what happened to her...," the mother of a 31-year-old trainee doctor from Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said, as she broke down in tears.

On the early hours of 9 August, the semi-clothed body of her daughter was found on the third floor of the emergency building at the state-run hospital. She was raped and murdered allegedly by a civic volunteer. A civic police volunteer is deputed to assist lower-ranked police officers who were admitted to hospitals, offering support and assistance as needed.

The accused, arrested by the Kolkata Police on Friday night was booked under sections 64 (rape) and 103/1 (murder) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The Emergency building of the hospital where the incident took place.

(Photo: Gurvinder Singh/The Quint)

The murder has sparked widespread outrage with doctors and nurses leading protests in Kolkata and other parts of India.

How a Headphone Helped Police Nab the Accused

As per senior police officials, the incident took place on Friday night when the victim, along with four colleagues, had dinner in the seminar room while watching Neeraj Chopra win silver. Three of the colleagues left, while the deceased doctor remained in the seminar room to rest. 

The autopsy report showed that there were multiple injuries on various parts of the 31-year-old victim's body, including bleeding from her private areas and additional injuries elsewhere. Her collarbone was also broken, indicating a struggle with her attacker.

A protest rally by doctors in Kolkata. 

(Photo: Gurvinder Singh/The Quint)

Police officers familiar with the investigation told The Quint that CCTV footage showed the accused entering the seminar hall with a Bluetooth device plugged into his ears around 4 a.m. on the night of the incident. However, the device was missing from his ears when he exited, approximately 40 minutes later. The doctor’s body was found around 7.30 am. The police later paired the device with his cell phone. 

'The Incident Has Shattered Us'

The victim’s parents said that they want justice and have full faith on the state government and judiciary. “We spoke to her around 11 pm for the last time before she became a victim of this heinous crime. We were planning for her marriage but this incident has shattered us,” her mother said.

Vineet Goyal, the Kolkata Police Commissioner, while addressing the media at Lalbazar, the city police headquarters on.August 10 (date) assured full support to the victim's family. “We are extremely sad, angered, and anguished over the incident. We stand with the family members, the doctors, and the students. We formed a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a transparent investigation immediately after the incident and have arrested one person in connection with it. We have found some evidence at the scene, on the basis of which he (Sanjay) has been arrested,” he said. 

Senior police officials told The Quint that the accused was often posted at RG Kar Hospital and had easy access to various departments of the hospital. The initial investigation revealed that he might be addicted to pornography, as his mobile contained several objectionable videos and photos, according to police sources. He has also been reprimanded for being disrespectful toward female colleagues in the past.

'Would Be Difficult to Work Night Hours After This'

The incident has sent shockwaves across the medical fraternity with doctors and medical students coming together to protest the brutal crime and demand a judicial inquiry in the incident. 

“It is distressing that such incident has happened in the hospital and the seminar hall had no CCTV cameras inside. We demand a judicial inquiry led by a High Court judge into the incident and also the public of post-mortem report as soon as possible, ” said Dr Sams Musafir, 38, former student at RG Kar college.

Students protest at the RG Kar Hospital.

(Photo: Gurvinder Singh/The Quint)

Students sat in a day long protest at the premise of RG Kar hospital demanding exemplary punishment for the accused while students from other colleges along with civic society members carried out a candle march to condemn the brutal incident and demanding stern punishment of the accused. 

“We suspect involvement of more than person in the crime and there should be proper investigation to unhide the truth. It is really disheartening that a doctor had to part with her life in such a horrific manner. It also raises question on the safety of several other female staff who work in the hospitals in the late night hours,” said Madhurima Kesh, 25, a medical student who sat on a day long protest at RG Kar medical College. 

Sresta Chatterjee, 25, another medical student termed the incident as ‘shameful’, “It is very strange to talk about women safety when such incident has happened in a government hospital which usually remains crowded across the clock. It would be very difficult to work in night hours after this incident.”