Kolkata doctor murder: Centre boosts security deployment at hospitals, no let-up in protests

NEW DELHI/ KOLKATA: There was no let-up in nationwide protests on Monday by junior doctors over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata, even as the Union health ministry approved 25 per cent enhancement in security deployment at central hospitals. The CBI, probing the case, has been granted permission to conduct a polygraph test on the accused, a civic volunteer.

In Kolkata, the protests escalated as senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami, who had posted about the incident on social media, appeared before police after leading a march of hundreds of healthcare professionals from Calcutta Medical College to Kolkata Police headquarters. Healthcare services remained affected at state-run hospitals in West Bengal as junior doctors continued their cease-work protest. Heavy rush was seen at the out-patient departments on the first day of the week with senior doctors substituting for their juniors to handle the situation.

"This protest is for seeking justice for a female doctor who faced brutality while treating patients for 36 hours at a stretch. It is the 11th day that her body was discovered, but where is the justice? We will continue this stir until we get justice for our sister," said an agitating doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where the incident took place.

A group of lawyers practising at the Calcutta High Court also marched in a procession demanding justice and "punishment to the real culprits" in the case. In the national capital, medics offered elective outpatient services on the road outside Nirman Bhawan, calling it a symbolic protest, as they continued their strike for the eighth consecutive day over the Kolkata incident. A group of doctors sat with sheets of paper showing their names and specialisations -- ortho OPD, neurology OPD, psychiatry OPD, -- on the road in front of the office of the Ministry of Health at Nirman Bhawan.

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A doctor sitting on the road to check patients said, "At the hospital, there is no safety or protection. At least here, we have police around us, so we can treat patients here. We have no option but to fight for ourselves, as nobody is doing anything besides offering us sympathy and empty assurances."

"The OPD we are operating here is a symbolic protest. We are both protesting and offering OPD services," Doctor Ansar said. Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) said they will continue with their strike as a meeting with the central government failed to reach an agreement.

"Today's meeting between Doctors and the @MoHFW_INDIA concluded without reaching an agreement. As a result, @FAIMA_INDIA_ will continue their strike," the FAIMA said in a post on X. "We are now awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court for further direction on this matter," the doctors' body said.

Nationwide protest against Kolkata doctor murder

Protests also took place in other parts of the country. In Uttar Pradesh, junior doctors at medical colleges and hospitals observed 'Kala Raksha Bandhan' while elective services remained disrupted for the eighth consecutive day on Monday. UP Resident Doctors' Association president Hardeep Jogi told PTI, "The strike by junior doctors has entered its eighth day. OPD and other services are disrupted in all the medical colleges."

In Mumbai, resident doctors of BMC-run Sion hospital held a silent march to protest attacks on medical professionals. On Sunday, a woman doctor was assaulted at the hospital by drunk relatives of a patient. "The silent march in the afternoon today was to protest the incidents in Kolkata and here. We are seeking safety for doctors at their workplaces," Dr Sudeep Dhakane from Sion hospital told PTI.

In Panaji, routine services at state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital remained affected on the fourth day on Monday. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has allowed enhancement of security deployment by 25 per cent at all Union government hospitals, officials said. They said that apart from the standard security protocol, the deployment of marshals would also be approved based on individual demands by government hospitals after they conduct their security assessment.

Official sources, however, said bringing a central law based on the RG Kar hospital case "will not make any huge difference" as the alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor at the Kolkata facility was not a case of patient-doctor violence. Crimes and rapes are already covered under existing laws, they said. The sources said they have held meetings with some Residents Doctors' Associations and have explained these aspects to them too.

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Centre issues security guidelines

The Union health ministry also issued a list of security measures to be implemented at all central government hospitals which include strict monitoring of the entry and exit and providing escort to women health professionals at night. In a communication sent to all heads of central government hospitals, the ministry asked them to ensure adequate number of well secured duty rooms with basic amenities for female health professionals and deployment of women health professionals at night be preferably done in more than one in number.

In Kolkata, senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami appeared before the police in connection with posts they shared on social media over the incident. Sarkar and Goswami reached the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lal Bazar leading a march of doctors. They were asked by the police to appear before it for the posts they shared on social media. Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging a notice sent to him by the police in connection with a social media post he made over the incident. The court said it will hear the petition on Tuesday.

The Kolkata Police served the notice to the veteran politician on Sunday, asking him to appear before it. In his social media post, the veteran TMC MP demanded that the CBI undertake "custodial interrogation" of Kolkata Police commissioner and former principal of RG Kar hospital in connection with its probe into the incident. Meanwhile, the ruling TMC in West Bengal demanded that the CBI expedite its probe into the case.

BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation

Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh told reporters that although the investigation by Kolkata Police was progressing well until the probe was transferred to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court on August 13, it is now the responsibility of the central agency to achieve an early breakthrough.

He underscored that the Trinamool Congress is resolutely demanding death penalty for the culprits and is calling for an immediate resolution to the case. However, the BJP attacked the state government over the issue and called Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee "shameless", alleging that crucial evidence was destroyed at her behest to save the culprits in the case.

It also slammed leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress' Rahul Gandhi, and called them "political vultures", alleging that they "generalised" the trainee doctor's rape and murder by expressing a general concern over such cases reported in different parts of the country, including those in BJP-ruled states.

"Mamata Banerjee has become Mamata, the destroyer. By her misdeeds she destroyed the dignity of a woman, a doctor who was serving the society. Mamata Banerjee is the destroyer of the rule of law and the Constitution," BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said at a press conference in New Delhi.

"And see the brazenness of shameless Mamata, the destroyer. She took out a march in Kolkata while the entire country was embarrassed by the gruesome incident of rape and murder...She should immediately resign (as chief minister)," the BJP leader said.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the CBI.