Police arrest 1 in connection with sexualassault, murder of woman PGT doctor

•  Will seek death penalty of accused, says Mamata
• BJP seeks CBI probe, CPM for high-level judicial inquiry

PTI, Kolkata, Aug 10, 2024 : Police arrested one person for his alleged involvement in the sexual assault and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a senior officer said on Saturday.

The arrested man, an outsider had free access to the different departments of the hospital, he said.

“We have arrested one person, who is an outsider. His activities are quite suspicious and he seems to be directly involved in the crime,” the police officer told PTI.

Talking more about the arrested accused, police said that they recovered a torn part of a Bluetooth earphone which led to the culprit.

In fact, other PGTs and female doctors also identified the culprit from CCTV footage grabbed from other parts of the hospital premises, a source in the police department said.

Police officers also claimed that the arrested accused had given different statements during the grilling done.

“Now, we are trying to find out who else was with him or he had someone else with him,” he said, adding that police might conduct necessary medical examinations on him.

Police officers also questioned two intern doctors the entire Friday night in connection with their ongoing probe into the death of the woman doctor, he said.

The semi-nude body of a woman postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor was found inside the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata on Friday.

The deceased, a second-year student of the chest medicine department, was on duty on Thursday night. The body bore injury marks.

Her father had alleged that she was raped and murdered inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and efforts are on to hide the truth.

Preliminary autopsy report has indicated sexual abuse of the woman doctor before she was killed, police said. 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asserted that her government will seek the death penalty for the accused in the alleged sexual assault and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor. 

Mamata also said she has asked officials to ensure that the case be tried in a fast-track court. The body of the woman doctor was found inside the seminar hall of a government-run hospital in north Kolkata on Friday. 

The Chief Minister also said the protests and processions by junior doctors demanding exemplary punishment for the accused and enhanced security at hospitals were justified. "I endorse the demands being made by the junior doctors," she told a Bengali news channel. 

Mamata said the West Bengal government has no objection to an investigation into the case by any agency, including the CBI, if there is a demand for it. 

Describing the incident as gruesome and despicable, she urged the junior doctors at various state-run hospitals to carry on giving healthcare services while holding the protests. 

"I feel like losing someone in my family," Mamata said. The Chief Minister said police camps had been set up in every hospital to prevent any assault on doctors. 

She also said superintendents/principals of hospitals and medical college hospitals have a responsibility of ensuring internal security at their respective facilities. 

"We will also investigate whether there was any negligence on their part," Mamata stated. 

Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal asserted the force will make sure the accused in the alleged sexual assault and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor gets “punishment of the highest order” if the charges are proved in court. 

As the incident sparked outrage across the state, the BJP on Saturday demanded a CBI probe into the incident. 

Union Minister of State and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said the injury marks on the victim suggested involvement of more than one person in the heinous crime. 

Majumdar said: "The arrest of a person could be an eye wash. Only a CBI probe can uncover the entire truth and deliver justice for the young woman, who was on the verge of a promising future." 

Majumdar, along with party state general secretary Agnimitra Paul, was stopped by senior officials of the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate while en route to the victim’s residence. This led to a heated exchange with police. 

The state BJP chief criticised police for their delayed response, suggesting that they initially tried to pass off the case as a suicide and only acted after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intervened. He questioned whether police need to be prompted by the CM to investigate serious incidents. 

CPM state secretary Md Salim dismissed the police investigation as inadequate and expressed skepticism about a CBI probe under the BJP-led Union government, suggesting it might have a covert alignment with the ruling TMC. He called for a high-level judicial inquiry instead. 

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh expressed surprise at the ongoing protests, stating that while protests are understandable, the Chief Minister’s willingness to accept an external probe and her commitment to seeking the death penalty for the accused should address concerns. 

Ghosh urged against further politicization of the issue, noting, "The CM has made it clear that if the charges are proved, police will seek the death penalty, so there should be no further politicization of this matter."