Kolkata Rape-Murder: Doctors Demand Top Cop's Ouster, Assembly to Debate Death Penalty Bill | Top Points

In the wake of the ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, several junior doctors in the city on Monday are set to march from College Street to Lalbazar, demanding the resignation of Vineet Goyal as Kolkata Police Commissioner. Meanwhile, a special two-day session of the West Bengal Assembly will commence today, to pass a Bill proposing capital punishment for convicts in rape and murder cases.

This comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues its protests against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state, accusing her of using the anti-rape law as a mere political ploy. The rape and murder of the trainee doctor has triggered nationwide outrage and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the matter upon the direction of the Calcutta High Court.

PROTESTS CONTINUE IN BENGAL: TOP POINTS

1. • Protesting doctors in the state allege the Kolkata Police failed to prevent the mob attack on RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the eve of Independence Day, days after the trainee doctor was raped and murdered there, on August 9. Since Goyal heads the force, they are demanding him to step down. Doctors also say not just the main accused, Sanjay Roy, but others allegedly involved in the crime should also be arrested, and that former RG Kar principal, Sandip Ghosh, should be suspended.
   • The doctors’ march has been organised by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) and is scheduled to begin at 2 pm. It will reportedly cover College Square-Mahatma Gandhi Road-Central Avenue-BB Ganguly Street-Lalbazar Street, triggering possible traffic diversions.
   • According to media reports, the doctors said they will not break any police cordon and will march till the point the police will allow them to.
   • A two-day special session of the West Bengal Assembly, convened by the government, will commence today, to table and pass a Bill which would provide for capital punishment to convicted rapists. The Bill would be tabled for discussion and passage on Tuesday, the second day of the special session.
   • Today, the Supreme Court will hear the West Bengal government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order granting bail to one of the organisers of the August 27 ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ march. On Friday, the Calcutta High Court had granted bail to Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj leader, Sayan Lahiri. Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj, an unregistered student group, was one of the two organisations that gave the call for the August 27 march.
   • The BJP has been staging a sit-in at Dorina Crossing in Kolkata’s Esplanade since August 29. Earlier, women members of the TMC staged protests at various blocks, advocating for amendments in laws to ensure capital punishment for rapists.
   • On August 31, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Kolkata Police Commissioner over the alleged use of excessive and brutal force on August 27 on protesters demonstrating to demand justice for the RG Kar Medical College victim. The NHRC has sought an action taken report from the Police Commissioner in two weeks.
   • On Sunday, participants of a mega rally, including prominent film personalities and rights activists, held a night-long sit-in in Kolkata until 4 am on Monday, demanding justice for the doctor. Actor Swastika Mukherjee, who was at the forefront of the protest, demanded “azadi from abuse” and strict punishment for convicted rapists.
   • The same day, the CBI investigated the crime spot at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The agency also inspected the hospital’s emergency building, the boys’ hostel, and the principal’s office.
   • Other than doctors and political parties, massive protests by locals were also witnessed in the state. Hundreds of people were seen marching on the roads with banners, shouting slogans for justice for the rape and murder victim.

So far, the probe into the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has resulted in only one arrest, that of Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, who currently remains in judicial custody.

Calcutta High Court transferred the twin probe – into the August 9 rape-murder of the medic and allegations of corruption during the tenure of Sandip Ghosh – on August 13 and August 23 respectively, to the CBI.