Protest rallies across the world as the call for speedy justice gets louder
Venkat Raman
Auckland, August 25, 2024
More than two weeks after the rape and murder of a young intern at a Kolkata Hospital in West Bengal, public anger in India and across the world has been on the rise, with growing frustration at how the case was initially handled.
Protest rallies have been held in major cities calling for speedy dispensation of justice.
In Auckland, about 100 men and women gathered at Aotea Square on August 24, 2024, for a peaceful protest, holding placards that demanded Human Rights, Justice for the victim’s family and the safety of women at their workplaces.
Organiser Parama Bose said that the Auckland meeting had no political agenda.
“Our protest rally was not against any government or non-government organisation either in New Zealand or in India. Participants at the Aotea Square chanted slogans in sympathy for the young doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata and for better work conditions for women. We distributed pamphlets so that Aucklanders could understand the reason for the rally,” she said.
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The incident and thereafter
According to reports, on the night of August 9, 2024, a second-year postgraduate trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata had dinner with her juniors and went to the Seminar Hall to sleep, since there was a restroom facility at the Hospital.
The name of the young trainee doctor is known to us but in deference to public wishes, she has been given the pseudonym of ‘Abhaya’ (meaning fearless).
The following Morning (August 10), her semi-nude body was discovered, igniting speculation of rape and murder. There have since been graphic descriptions of the state of the body, the bruises, brutal rape, bleeding and murder.
The victim’s father alleged that a Police phone call to him had mentioned that his daughter had committed suicide and that he, his wife and other members of the family were made to wait for more than three hours before being allowed to see the body.
“Looking at the body, anybody could say that Abhaya was murdered,” her mother said.
The Police later denied having claimed that it was a suicide.
(Photo Supplied by Parama Bose)
Arrest of a Social Volunteer
Sanjay Roy, reportedly a 33-year-old volunteer at the Hospital, has been arrested and is undergoing intensive interrogation. Reports have described him as a man with a highly intensive watcher of pornographic films, marital abuse and prone to violence, a claim denied by his mother.
Roy’s mother-in-law told the media during interviews that he was constantly beating her pregnant daughter, killing the child.
He is believed to have quick access to various hospital departments and close ties with senior Police Officers, which allegedly allowed him unfettered access to the hospital.
West Bengal is currently being ruled by the All India Trinamool Congress, an adversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Not all protest rallies have been peaceful.
On August 14, a peaceful protest titled ‘Reclaim the Night’ turned violent as a mob breached the RG Kar Medical College, vandalised the property and clashed with police, resulting in multiple injuries. The protests, initially fuelled by social media campaigns, reflect the nationwide outrage over the incident.
The case goes to the CBI
Following repeated accusations of mishandling by both the Kolkata Police and the West Bengal government and public outcry, the Kolkata High Court ordered that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
There is now hope that the case will be efficiently pursued.
While reports indicated that Roy faces charges of murder, there are concerns that some officials may have been involved, even remotely responsible for his conduct.
Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former Head of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was asked to go on leave after concerns were raised over his leadership and response during the case.
He resigned from the post following public backlash for his comments against the victim but was appointed as Principal of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital a day later.
He is likely to be questioned by the CBI.
Soon after the news of the rape and murder of Abhaya became public, junior doctors at the KG Kar Medical College and Hospital went on strike demanding better working conditions and safety measures for women.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded to the public outrage against the incident by assuring that those responsible for the heinous crime would face severe consequences, including the possibility of hanging.
After the arrest of Roy, she said, “If needed, the accused will be hanged.”
Coverup alleged
The incident has given ample ammunition to the BJP-led federal government to attack Ms Banerjee and her TMC government.
In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort in New Delhi on August 15, 2024, Mr Modi expressed deep concern over the rising incidents of violence against women in India, without referring to the Kolkata rape and murder.
“I would like to express my pain once again, from the Red Fort today. As a society, we will have to think seriously about the atrocities against women that are happening; there is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” he said.
Kanchan Gupta, a Senior Advisor at the Union Ministry of Information, claimed that the CCTV footage related to the crime had been destroyed, suggesting a possible coverup.
FIR deadline becomes mandatory
The case reached the Supreme Court of India as public outrage became more intense.
It has emerged that the Kolkata Police did not file the First Information Report (FIR) until 11.45 pm on August 9, long after the dead body of Abhaya was cremated.
This prompted the Union Health Ministry to issue a directive mandating that central and state-run government hospitals file police complaints within six hours of any violence on their premises. The directive specified that the Head of the institution will be held accountable if this requirement is not met.
Accused makes a U-Turn
While Roy remains the main accused in the case, he made a U-turn (on August 22) on his alleged confession of the grisly murder, according to Hindustan Times (HT).
He made the allegation before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Sealdah, Kolkata, consenting to a polygraph test.
He repeated the claim to the jail guards, the publication said.
The CBI and the Police however found inconsistencies in his statements.
An officer told HT that he had been trying to mislead investigators.
The officer said that he could not provide any explanation for the injuries to his face and his presence in the building at the time of the crime.
