Protests erupted across Kolkata on Saturday after the Calcutta High Court granted bail to Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of Tala police station. Their bail was granted after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to submit the chargesheet within the mandated 90-day period.
Ghosh and Mondal were arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital on August 9. They face charges of tampering with evidence and facilitating the hasty cremation of the woman, despite her family’s demand for a second autopsy.
The victim’s family, along with doctors’ associations, political parties, and local residents, took to the streets in protest. The father of the deceased woman expressed frustration, saying, “We don’t know what the CBI is planning, but we will continue our fight for justice. The legal battle and street protests will go on side by side.”
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) organized a protest rally from Karunamoyee to the CBI office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake. WBJDF member Debasish Halder voiced concerns over the future of the accused, stating, “Ghosh may be reinstated in a reputed medical college. We will stay on the streets until we get justice. We trusted the CBI, but what have they done?”
The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) [SUCI(C)] also held a protest march along the same route. SUCI(C) leader Chandidas Bhattacharya criticized the CBI for failing to take meaningful action, saying, “We had a lot of expectations, but the CBI has done nothing.”
Demonstrations were also staged by Congress workers outside the Nizam Palace, the CBI’s office, and by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in central Kolkata. Meanwhile, the Joint Platform of Doctors, an umbrella group of various medical organizations, held a rally at Esplanade. They condemned the lack of progress and vowed to escalate their protests until justice was served for the victim.
Dr. Utpal Banerjee of the Joint Platform of Doctors emphasized the collective anger and disappointment, stating, “We are deeply upset. We will soon take to the streets to send a strong message to both the state government and the federal agency.”
In a related development, the Service Doctors’ Forum (SDF) sent a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to intervene after the CBI’s solicitor general, Tushar Mehta, revealed that the Bengal government had not granted permission for the CBI to pursue prosecution against Ghosh and Mondal. The SDF demanded swift and decisive action against those responsible for the rape, murder, and subsequent attempts to cover up the crime.
Senior lawyer Vrinda Grover, who had been representing the victim’s family, has also withdrawn from the case. “We have already found another advocate to represent us. Our fight continues,” said the victim’s father.
As protests continue to grow, the call for justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor intensifies, with citizens and medical professionals alike rallying for accountability and transparency in the investigation.
