Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder: Calcutta High Court Bar Library Club Express Solidarity With Medical Practitioners, Condemns 'Barbaric' Incident

The Calcutta High Court Bar Library Club has passed a resolution condemning the brutal rape and murder of a 2nd year PG medical student on the campus of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, after she had completed her night duty, in the early hours of the morning.

In a resolution signed by Ajoy Krishna Chatterjee, the Vice-President, the Bar Library Club stated:

The horrific incident of rape and murder of a young postgraduate female trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has not only traumatized the medical fraternity but also threatened the very existence of a civil society. We the members of the Bar Library Club Calcutta High Court strongly condemn the barbaric incident and stand in solidarity with the life savers and givers of our society and demand strict punishment of the guilty at the earliest.

The members of the Bar Library Club also condemned the 'laxity' in the response by the state administration to the incident.

"We further condemn the laxity of the administration to take appropriate immediate action in the matter. Further Resolved that the aforesaid resolution be communicated to the doctors at R.G.Kar Medical College and other bodies/organisations of Doctors in the State of West Bengal," the resolution stated.

Background

Yesterday, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation into the gruesome incident to the CBI, upon noting that the state police had not been proactive in the investigation of the incident and the state administration was not "with the victim or her parents."

A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya were hearing multiple pleas, including one by the parents of the victim seeking transfer of investigation to an independent agency. In expressing concerns over the progress of the investigation under the state police.

After a preliminary investigation, the Kolkata Police had arrested a 'civic volunteer' who worked with the local police force. This arrest has been termed as a cover-up, with the counsel claiming that the state police's investigation had been faulty and they were trying to make a scapegoat out of the accused in an attempt to cover up the real facts.

The parents of the deceased were represented by Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who submitted that they initially received a phone call claiming that she had fallen sick and upon reaching the college were told that she had committed suicide, but were not allowed to see her body for up to three hours while waiting there.

It was submitted that when they saw her body for identification, they were convinced that the incident could not have been a suicide due to the gruesome nature of the injuries. The senior counsel prayed that the matter be immediately transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since crucial evidence could be destroyed with the passage of time.

The court expressed concern over the fact that the case was registered by the police as an unnatural death and remarked that the principal or authorities of the college had not done anything in their power to aid in the probe. It thus directed for the principal to be placed on indefinite leave till further orders.

In noting that a report could be called for by the state police under normal circumstances, the court noted the peculiar nature of the facts in this case and acceded to the parents' prayer that any further delay would lead to the destruction of evidence.

Thus, it handed over the investigation to the CBI and listed the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

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