The accused maintained his innocence and alleged that he was tortured while being transferred from police custody to the Centra Bureau of Investigation.
“I have not done anything, neither rape nor murder. I am being falsely implicated. You have seen everything. I am innocent. I already told you that I was tortured. They made me sign whatever they wanted,” he said.
The sessions court had convicted the then civic police volunteer on January 18 in the case.
A case that shook the nation
The rape and murder of the doctor had shook the nation, with doctors throughout the country protesting to not only demand justice for the victim, but also for the safety and security of the doctors. From hunger strikes to stopping elective services, doctors in Kolkata and other regions of the country held protests for several months . The Federation of All India Medical Association had called nationwide medical associations and resident doctors to initiate a boycott of elective services from October 14 in support of the protesting junior doctors in West Bengal.
The open letter was addressed to National Medical Associations, state Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) and Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) from various medical colleges and institutes of national importance.
Junior doctors of West Bengal held a hunger strike for a couple of weeks in October to press for their demands following the RG Kar hospital incident even as their health parameters continue to decline.
The agitators demanded justice for the RG Kar hospital victim, immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, workplace security and other measures.
A group of senior doctors at R G Kar Medical College had sent a collectively signed “mass resignation” letter in solidarity with their protesting junior colleagues. Subsequently, similar letters were sent by doctors from other state-run hospitals.
The government asserted that healthcare services in state-run hospitals have not been disrupted, as senior doctors continue to work normally. The junior doctors had called off their ‘total cease work’ at state-run medical colleges and hospitals on October 4.
The mass resignations were interpreted as a symbolic gesture of solidarity from senior doctors with their junior counterparts, the government said.
In August, doctors in Delhi demaned the immediate enactment of the Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019, also known as the Central Protection Act. Their demonstrations took place at various locations, culminating in a massive protest at the office of the Union Health Minister, at Nirman Bhawan.
Out-patient services were disrupted in most of the city’s hospitals in August, with doctors threatening to escalate their protests by shutting down emergency services if their demands were not met.
Doctors from multiple hospitals in the city participated in the protest, with the Delhi Police barricading the Safdarjung flyover to prevent the protesters from reaching Nirman Bhawan.
The investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 7 filed a chargesheet in rape and murder case of trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College, reported PTI, citing officials.
The CBI has filed the charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case. He has been charged under BNS 64/66/103 (1).
On December 14, a Kolkata court granted bail to RG Kar Medical College & Hospital’s former principal Sandip Ghosh and senior police officer Abhijit Mondal in connection with the case over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the college premises on August 9.
The additional chief judicial magistrate at the Sealdah court granted bail to the two because CBI, which is investigating the case, has not filed any charge sheet against them within the mandatory 90-day period, which made them eligible for default bail, people in the know said.
Ghosh is accused of tampering with evidence in the case. Mondal, who was at the time the officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, had allegedly delayed filing an FIR in the case.
Reaction post judgement
Expressing dissatisfaction over the court giving life imprisonment to the convict in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed the probe was “forcibly” taken away from the Kolkata Police, and asserted that had it been with them, they would have ensured a death penalty.
“All of us had demanded a death sentence, but the court has given a life term until death. The case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he was served a death sentence,” she claimed.
“We don’t know how the probe was conducted. In many similar cases that were probed by the state police, death penalty was ensured. I am not satisfied,” she said.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) expressed disappointment after the RG Kar convict, Sanjay Roy was sentenced to life in prison earlier in the day.
“A terrible judgement. We as a nation should be ashamed,” it said in strong disapproval of the verdict.
Taking to X, FORDA said, “You can get away with a brutal #Rape&Murder with just #Lifeimprisonment in India. What a shame! “
“Highly disappointed. This is not over, yet,” the post added.
