Kolkata rape-murder case: Doctors gift police commissioner ‘spine’; ceasework protest continues | Top points

Kolkata rape-murder case: A delegation of junior doctors in Kolkata gifted a hand-made artificial spine to city Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal.

Amid the ongoing outrage over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, a delegation of junior doctors in the state presented a hand-made artificial spine to city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and demanded his resignation over the alleged lapses in the case. The action was a way to ask the police to “grow a backbone”.

A junior doctor along with other medical professionals from different Medical Hospitals holds a model spine take out the Lalbazar March (police headquarter) from College Street to protest against alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor and demand resignation of CP Vineet Goyal in Kolkata (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times)

The delegation met Vineet Goyal on Tuesday after a 22-hour impasse.

Latest updates on Kolkata doctor's rape-murder case:

1. The ceasework by junior doctors at state-run hospitals in West Bengal continued on Wednesday in order to protest against the rape and murder of the woman doctor in the state. The health services remained crippled at most state-run medical facilities due to the ceasework, which has been underway for over three weeks now.
2. One of the junior medics told PTI, “Our demand for justice is still unfulfilled. The protests will continue till our sister gets justice and the culprits are brought to book.”
3. On Tuesday, workers from various private hospitals also protested across Kolkata by forming a human chain across various zones in the city.
4. Amid the increasing pressure, the West Bengal government on Tuesday unanimously passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to amend central laws at the state level to seek increased punishment for severe crimes against women and children.
5. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh called the passage of the bill “historic”, and also met with three junior doctors who protested at BB Ganguly Street in Kolkata, demanding the resignation of the city police commissioner.
6. Meanwhile, union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the passage of the anti-rape bill in West Bengal by accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee of “politicising” the doctor's death. He also claimed that the CM had “failed to act” initially to prevent the crime. The Union minister also pointed out that in 2018, Parliament passed a “stringent law to address heinous crimes like rape", which aimed to establish fast-track special courts (FTSC) for the quicker trial and resolution of pending rape and POCSO Act cases.
7. The ll India Federation of Government Doctors' Associations (AIFGDA) on Tuesday demanded swift justice for the victim and urged the judiciary to handle the case with sensitivity and promptness.
8. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, along with three others, over alleged corruption and financial misconduct at the hospital. A day later, Ghosh was sent to eight-day police custody.

(With inputs from agencies)