West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a fresh probe into the 2024 rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a case that had sparked widespread outrage across the country.
Adhikari said the government decided to order the fresh investigation following a request from the doctor's mother, Ratna Debnath, who is now a BJP MLA.
"Ratna Debnath had written to me, requesting a fresh investigation. After extensive discussions with the chief secretary and a team of experts, I am announcing a fresh investigation under the Special Commission Act, 1952," he said.
Adhikari alleged that the police had failed to perform their duty in the case.
He also ordered a separate investigation into alleged lapses in the victim's cremation and directed immediate action against those found responsible.
Two-Minute Silence Observed At Government Hospitals
A two-minute silence was observed at government hospitals across West Bengal on Sunday, the second anniversary of the doctor's death.
The victim's mother planted and watered a sapling at a memorial meeting for the post-graduate trainee.
Doctors, nurses and other officials at government hospitals observed the silence in her memory. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee and senior officials also observed a two-minute silence at Swasthya Bhavan, the department's headquarters in Salt Lake.
At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata, paramilitary personnel guarding the facility joined doctors, nurses and other staff in observing the silence.
Following the rape and murder, the Supreme Court had ordered several measures to ensure the safety and security of doctors and other staff, including the deployment of paramilitary personnel at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Junior Doctors Hold Clinic, Memorial March
The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, which had led extensive protests after the post-graduate trainee's body was discovered on Aug 09, 2024, organised a clinic for underprivileged people at Chitpur in north Kolkata.
"We are holding the clinic seeking justice for the on-duty doctor who was raped and murdered," said one participating doctor.
The Junior Doctors' Front later organised a memorial march from College Street to Esplanade, demanding justice for the doctor through the arrest and trial of others who may have been directly or indirectly involved in the crime.
CBI Probing Alleged Conspiracy Angle
Sanjay Roy has been convicted in the rape and murder case and sentenced by the Sealdah sessions court to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. However, the victim's parents and several of her colleagues have maintained that others were also involved in the crime.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the alleged conspiracy angle in the case following an order of the Calcutta High Court.
The victim's mother was elected to the West Bengal Assembly as a BJP candidate from Panihati in North 24 Parganas district in the April elections.
