The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday questioned why a murder case was not registered initially and why an unnatural death case was initiated in the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
A division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya posed this question to the West Bengal government lawyer, who argued that an unnatural death case was registered because there was no immediate complaint of murder. The court noted that the body of the postgraduate trainee was not found on the roadside and suggested that either the superintendent or the principal of the hospital could have filed the complaint.
The doctor’s body, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall at RG Kar hospital, was discovered on Friday morning. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the case on Saturday. The Chief Justice remarked that the murder was so brutal that the doctors and interns were justified in expressing their outrage.
Junior doctors and interns across West Bengal continued their ceasework on Tuesday, protesting against the incident and demanding better protection for hospital staff. The High Court advised the state to engage in dialogue with the protesting doctors.
Meanwhile, the state’s lawyer asserted that a transparent investigation is underway by the Kolkata Police. Following a directive from the bench, the West Bengal government produced the case diary at 1 pm. The court then adjourned the hearing until 3 pm.
