An otherwise harmless August day in Kolkata became a cause of shock and horror in 2024, when the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital became the center of nationwide protests and demands for better protection of healthcare workers.
This heinous crime drew international condemnation, and raised serious concerns about the safety of health workers, especially women.
The West Bengal government was also embroiled in a lot of controversies as the agitators demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after this tragic incident, while also highlighting the serious issue of law and order and promoting discussion about governance and justice. .
The prevalence of “bullying culture” in medical institutions became a topic of discussion, which many believed may have been the cause of the postgraduate trainee’s death. Financial irregularities involving the conduct of the hospital superintendent, state health department officials and a Kolkata Police officer were also brought into limelight.
Widespread protests began within hours of the incident. Junior doctors, house staff, interns and other medical students, along with various organizations and political parties, took to the streets demanding justice.
When R.G. When Kar Hospital officials informed the doctor’s parents that their daughter had committed suicide, they reached the institution, but police reportedly stopped them from meeting her. Her father denied the claim of suicide, saying, “We last spoke to her on August 8 at 11 pm. It is clear that she was murdered. Her body was found in a semi-nude state.”
The parents had also accused Kolkata Police and local TMC leaders of stopping them from attending the cremation. Soon after, junior doctors across Bengal staged a complete ‘work strike’, alleging police failure and the involvement of hospital superintendent Sandeep Ghosh.
Kolkata Police arrested Sanjay Roy, a civilian volunteer, on August 10 for his alleged role in the rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor. However, this failed to satisfy the victim’s parents or the protesters, who insisted that multiple people were involved in the crime.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the investigation to be handed over to the CBI, following a petition by the victim’s parents and several public interest litigations (PILs).
The Supreme Court also took suo motu cognizance of the case and former Chief Justice D.Y. A three-judge bench headed by Chandrachud criticized the state government, Kolkata Police and the hospital administration for mishandling the case and the vandalism that took place on August 14.
The protesters held Sandeep Ghosh responsible and alleged that the doctor was killed because he had exposed irregularities at the hospital. They also demanded the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and accused him of negligence in handling the case.
Despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Health Minister, urging doctors to return to work, the doctors continued their protest and took out rallies across the state to demand justice. Amid growing pressure, the state health department removed Sandeep Ghosh from the post of principal of RG Kar Hospital.
The post-mortem report confirmed that the young doctor was assaulted before she was strangled to death. The CBI arrested Ghosh after several days of questioning, along with Tala police station in-charge Abhijit Mandal on charges of tampering with evidence and delaying the FIR.
Following the Calcutta High Court order, the CBI filed an FIR against Ghosh and three Kolkata-based private entities on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and bribery.
The central agency later charged Ghosh with murder while he was in judicial custody in a separate corruption case. Meanwhile, junior doctors continued their protest demanding the removal of state health secretary N S Nigam. They also demonstrated outside the health department headquarters in Salt Lake and met Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and presented their list of demands, which also included his resignation.
In September, the state government introduced the ‘Aparajita Women and Children Bill’, which amended central laws to provide better protection to women and children from sexual crimes, making West Bengal the first state to do so.
As the protests continued, the state government eventually removed Goyal from his post, but the junior doctors continued their ‘work strike’ and demanded systemic reforms rather than mere resignation. After 50 days of protests, the Chief Minister assured them that their demands would be addressed, resulting in the ‘work strike’ ending on 4 October.
However, the unrest continued when doctors began an indefinite hunger strike demanding justice for the victim and reforms in the healthcare system. The hunger strike ended after the CM promised to form a task force by March 2025.
The CBI filed a chargesheet in the rape-murder case, naming the civilian volunteer as the main accused. However, despite the initiation of the trial, the CBI failed to file a chargesheet in the financial irregularities case against Ghosh within the stipulated 90 days. Both Ghosh and Mandal were eventually granted bail.
Protests broke out again after this incident, with doctors accusing the investigating agency of protecting the real culprits. The doctor’s parents then filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court for a fresh investigation and vowed to continue their fight for justice.