West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and protests by doctors demanding better security and justice.
Banerjee expressed her condolences to the victim’s family and assured that the guilty would be punished severely. She stated that the case should be heard in a fast-track court and the culprit should be hanged. The Chief Minister also said that she has no objection to a CBI probe if demanded by the protesting doctors.
#We (Doctors) were silent while we were abused / beaten up
# But, this is time to break the silence
# If you truly belong to medical fraternity, you can't resist yourself to raise your voice against this
# जब तक पूरी करवाई नहीं
तब तक कोई दवाई नही#MedTwitter #RGKar #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/bSvv8WH8SH
— 3shakti (@TrishaktiSahani) August 10, 2024
The junior doctor’s body was found on Friday morning in a seminar hall with bruises all over her body. She was bleeding from her eyes and mouth. The initial autopsy indicated that she was subjected to sexual assault. Following the murder, doctors at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital staged a massive protest and called for a ‘cease-work’. They demanded better security for medical personnel and the strictest of actions against the murderer of the trainee doctor.
Responding to the demands, Mamata Banerjee said, “I stand by the doctors. Their demands are completely justified… The role of the hospital authorities will also be probed and if negligence is proved, action will be taken.” She also said that she spoke to the parents of the victim and assured them that justice would be served.
The body of the second-year Postgraduate Student of RG Kar Medical College, who was found dead inside the Seminar Hall on the 3rd floor of the emergency building inside the campus under mysterious circumstances, reportedly had injury marks.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that there… pic.twitter.com/IWOa03R6BR— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) August 9, 2024
The opposition has criticized the state government for its handling of the case, with the BJP demanding a CBI probe. Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, “The state government has formed an 11-member inquiry committee. Some of the committee members are interns. In my opinion, the state government is either trying to sweep the matter under the mat so that the negligence on their part doesn’t get exposed or they are not at all serious about this matter.”
