Kolkata Doctor Death: SC Takes Suo Motu Cognisance; Father Levels Fresh Allegation Against RG Kar Hospital
Kolkata Doctor's Death: The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The CBI conducted 3D laser mapping at the crime scene.
The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case on 20 August.
In connection with the investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team examined the crime scene and conducted 3D laser mapping in the Emergency ward of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata.
#WATCH | West Bengal: CBI team investigating rape & murder case of the woman doctor is examining and coducting 3D laser mapping in the Emergency ward of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/IMmwfEnXlw
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2024
Kolkata Doctor's Death: ‘No One Cooperated With Us,’ Father Of Murdered Doctor Slams RG Kar Hospital Dept
In another notable development, the grieving parents of the deceased doctor have expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the investigation so far. The father of the doctor told news agency ANI, "No results have come out of the inquiry that is being done. We hope we will get results... No one from the department or the college cooperated with us. The entire department is involved in this... There were three bodies at the crematorium, but our daughter's body was cremated first..."
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Father of deceased doctor in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-death case says, "No results have come out of the inquiry that is being done. We hope we will get results... No one from the department or the college cooperated… pic.twitter.com/hyZwblJO7b
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2024
"The CM is talking about providing justice, but then attempts are being made to put the common people demanding justice in jail. We are not satisfied with the CM. We have refused to take any compensation," he added.
The victim's mother told ANI, "First we got a call from the hospital that your daughter is sick, then the call was disconnected. After that, when I called and asked what happened, they told me to come to the hospital. When we called again, the (caller) identified himself as Assistant Super and said your daughter has committed suicide. She went to duty on Thursday; we got this call on Friday at 10:53 pm. When we reached there, we were not allowed to see her, we were allowed to see her at 3 o'clock. Her pants were open, there was only one piece of cloth on her body. Her hand was broken, blood was coming out of her eyes, mouth. Just by looking at her, it seemed that someone had murdered her. I told them it is not suicide, it's a murder. We worked so hard to make our daughter a doctor but she was murdered."
#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Mother of deceased doctor in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-death case says, "First we got a call from the hospital that your daughter is sick, then the call was disconnected. After that when I called and asked what happened,… pic.twitter.com/cfOLLA8uro
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2024
The parents of the deceased doctor alleged that they were informed via phone on 9 August that their daughter had died by suicide at the hospital where she worked. However, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal stated that no one from the police force had contacted the parents to convey such information.
She also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying, "She (Mamata Banerjee) said that the culprit will be arrested as soon as possible, but nothing has happened so far. One person has been arrested. I am sure many more are involved in this incident. I think the entire department is responsible for the incident... The police did not do a good job at all. I feel that the Chief Minister is trying to stop the protest; today she imposed Section 144 here so that people cannot protest."
The mother further condemned the actions of the Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP), stating, "They did not cooperate with us at all, they only tried to hush up the case as soon as possible. Their attempt was to get the post-mortem done as soon as possible and remove the body."
ALSO READ | Kolkata Doctor Rape, Murder: 7-Day Curfew Imposed Outside RG Kar Hospital, Transfer Of 42 Doctors Revoked
Kolkata Police Summon TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, BJP's Locket Chatterjee
In a related development, Kolkata Police on Sunday summoned TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy shortly after he demanded that the CBI interrogate the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Roy had earlier urged the CBI to conduct a fair investigation into the case and called for the custodial interrogation of both the former principal and the Commissioner to ascertain the origins of the suicide story surrounding the doctor's death.
According to news agency PTI, a police source confirmed that Roy was summoned to the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar at 4 pm on Sunday for allegedly posting incorrect information regarding the incident on social media. When asked if the summons was linked to Roy's comments on the Commissioner, the PTI source declined to respond but noted that Roy had made remarks about sniffer dogs being taken to the hospital by the police during their investigation.
Former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh was interrogated by the CBI for several hours over three consecutive days, from Friday to Sunday, as part of their investigation.
Additionally, Kolkata Police have issued summonses to former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee and two prominent doctors, Dr Kunal Sarkar and Dr Subarna Goswami, for allegedly spreading rumours and disclosing the identity of the victim. An officer revealed that 57 other individuals have also been summoned for disseminating false information about the incident, PTI reported.
Dr Sarkar, a renowned cardiologist, confirmed receiving the summons and stated, "Yes, I have received the summons. But at the moment, I am out of town and have informed the Kolkata Police about that. I do not know why they have called me, but it seems that some of my comments on social media have elicited certain reactions nationally and internationally... maybe because of that", as quoted by PTI.
Chatterjee, the former BJP MP from Hooghly constituency, also confirmed receiving summons, adding, "I will go, but when exactly I will go has not been decided yet... I also want to see what is so important for the Kolkata Police. Their job right now is to provide justice and support the CBI (in the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case), but instead of doing that, the Kolkata Police is busy catching people for something related to social media."
VIDEO | "Yes, I have received a summons. I will go, but when exactly I will go has not been decided yet... I also want to see what is so important for the Kolkata Police. Their job right now is to provide justice and support the CBI (in the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case), but… pic.twitter.com/tnDxhEZm0r
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 18, 2024
Dr Goswami, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Purba Bardhaman district, said he has not yet received the summons and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation, saying, "I do not know why Kolkata Police will issue summons to me when they are not investigating the case. I have been saying that I will cooperate with the probe in every possible manner. I didn't reveal the identity of the victim or spread any rumour."
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, during a press conference on Friday, emphasised that the spread of rumours has hampered the investigation and posed a threat to law and order.