RG Kar hospital rape and murder case: Accused Sanjay Roy's 'cut marks' under CBI lens

 Sources in the CBI said that when they took custody of Roy on August 14, they found cuts all over Roy’s left and right forearms “up to his elbows”, and an external injury to his right hip. Agency sleuths said these were marks of 'resistance'

Law students take part in a protest march in Calcutta on Saturday against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.: PTI picture

Monalisa Chaudhuri, TT, Calcutta, 25.08.24 : Multiple “cut marks” found on both forearms of Sanjay Roy suggest the possibility that the junior doctor whom he allegedly raped and murdered put up a tough fight in the last few minutes of her life, a CBI officer said.

Sources in the CBI said that when they took custody of Roy on August 14, they found cuts all over Roy’s left and right forearms “up to his elbows”, and an external injury to his right hip. Agency sleuths said these were marks of “resistance”.

“Roy said these cut marks on his forearms were self-inflicted. But he could not explain why he would inflict such injuries on himself,” a CBI officer said. “We suspect these are resistance marks caused when the victim struggled.”

The officer added that another cut was found on Roy’s “right iliac crest” — the curved ridge that forms the upper border of the right hip. This injury may indicate that the victim had tried to resist him from forcing himself on her, CBI sources said.

Police sources said that scrapings from the fingernails of the murdered doctor had been sent to the central forensic laboratory to match the DNA with Roy’s, the lone accused arrested in the case so far. The forensic reports are yet to arrive.

A senior Kolkata Police officer who was attached to the probe before its transfer to the CBI confirmed that there were “resistance marks” on Roy when he was arrested.

“There were injury marks on both his arms. We carried out his medical test thoroughly. All the documents have now been handed over to the CBI. We cannot share more details,” the officer said.

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had asked for the “medical examination report” or the “injury report” of the accused during the hearing of the RG Kar rape and murder case in the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, had said he did not know whether the report existed. But the Bengal government’s counsel, Kapil Sibal, said the report was part of the case diary that had been handed over to the CBI.

A police officer unattached to the probe said that injuries on the accused have to be considered in conjunction with other pieces of evidence.

“For example, if the skin tissues found in the scrapings from the victim’s fingernails match the DNA of the accused, it will establish the struggle between the accused and the victim. It will be direct medical evidence,” the officer said.

“Similarly, electronic evidence like CCTV footage and the tower location of the accused may establish the time when he was present on the spot. The post-mortem report can suggest the possible time of death. If all these corroborate one another, a strong case can be made out against the accused.”

CBI sleuths said that forensic reports would establish the number of DNA strands present in the viscous fluid collected from the woman’s body, helping determine whether there was a lone assailant or multiple ones.