The Central Bureau of Investigation in Kolkata on Friday has summoned 4 doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for questioning related to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. The CBI plans to interrogate these postgraduate trainees about the events of the night the crime occurred.
The accused, Sanjoy Roy, has been removed from the CBI Special Crime Branch office in Kolkata for a medical examination.
Protests have intensified across the country in response to the tragic incident. Junior doctors and medical students at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad staged a demonstration, condemning the rape and murder of their colleague from RG Kar Medical College. Dr. Priyanka from Gandhi Hospital expressed solidarity with the affected doctors in Kolkata, saying, “I am from Kolkata myself… I have been speaking to my friends back home about the mob attacks on hostels to destroy evidence because they know the gravity of the situation. They know that we are united all across the country and they are trying their best to scare our colleagues in Bengal. Our fight will not end soon, it will continue and we will escalate it if needed.”
In Delhi, similar protests took place at RML Hospital, with junior doctors and medical students rallying for justice. They are also expected to gather at Nirman Bhawan later for a larger demonstration. Dr. Akash from RML Hospital urged more participation, saying, “I appeal to all doctors and common people to reach Nirman Bhawan in large numbers so that we can peacefully put forward our issues in front of the government and seek justice for our colleague from Bengal. We also want to tell our friends protesting in Bengal that they are not alone in this fight, all doctors across the country stand in solidarity with them… We demand a Central Protection Act from the government. Our protest will continue till we do not get assurance from the government that concrete steps will be taken.”
In Siliguri, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) called for a 12-hour general strike to protest the incident. The strike has caused widespread disruption, with most shops in the city closing early. Dr. Shahriar Alam from SUCI (Communist) stated, “Today this strike has a huge impact. People have spontaneously responded to our call and throughout Siliguri like the Medical College area, people have not taken out their vehicles, and they have not opened the shops. We can say that the impact is very good. We have called this strike to protest against the heinous incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.”
Alam also condemned the recent vandalism at RG Kar Medical College, where a mob attacked the hospital, assaulting doctors, nurses, and patients, and destroying evidence. “The brutal rape and murder and then two days ago at midnight outsider goons attacked and assaulted the doctors, nurses, protesters and even the patients. They broke everything inside the hospital to clear away the evidence so that the murderers and rapists can be saved,” Alam said.
In response to the crisis, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide withdrawal of services from 6 am on August 17 to 6 am on August 18. The violence at RG Kar Medical College began on the night of August 14 when a large mob attacked the hospital.
This tragic event follows the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the college on August 9, leading to widespread protests and strikes by the medical community.
