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RG Kar suspect held guilty of rape, murder
A Kolkata court on Saturday held the main accused in the RG Kar Hospital case guilty of raping and murdering a doctor at the facility last year, in a gruesome crime that sparked nationwide outrage, protests, and strikes by medical practitioners
A Kolkata court on Saturday held the main accused in the RG Kar Hospital case guilty of raping and murdering a doctor at the facility last year, in a gruesome crime that sparked nationwide outrage, protests, and strikes by medical practitioners.
The Sealdah civil and criminal court held 31-year-old Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, guilty under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 64 (rape), 66 (causing injury resulting in death of rape victim), and 103 (1) (murder).
“You have been accused of attacking the victim in the RG Kar Hospital, throttling and strangulating her to death. You sexually assaulted her. Charges have been framed. On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in this matter, your guilt has been proved,” additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das said while announcing the verdict.
The quantum of punishment will be announced on Monday. Section 103(1) provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for life; Section 66 provides for imprisonment of not less than 20 years, which may be extended to life; Section 64 entails a punishment of not less than 10 years and can go up to a life term.
Roy has consistently maintained that he was innocent and again told the court that he was not guilty. “I am innocent… I am being framed,” he said. The victim’s family said they want him to be given the death penalty so that people don’t lose faith in the judiciary, while Roy’s relatives said that they don’t intend to challenge the verdict.
The body of the 31-year-old second-year postgraduate student, who was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on August 9. The crime took place at the third-floor seminar hall of the chest department late at night, and police later said that multiple lacerations and wounds were found on her body.
Roy was arrested the next day and was sent to 14-day police custody. The investigation was later handed over to CBI. After the gruesome crime, protests swept the entire country, especially Kolkata, as agitators alleged a string of missteps by the state administration, hospital authorities, and actions by city police to tamper with evidence. The government denied all allegations, and amid the mounting pressure, replaced Kolkata’s police commissioner and transferred three other senior police and health department officials.
Das said that in the judgment, which will be completed after the sentence is pronounced on Monday, “he has criticised some activities of police and hospital authorities, which came out in the evidence”.
Close to 200 armed police personnel were deployed at the court premises ahead of the verdict as a crowd of protesters gathered, demanding strict punishment for Roy.
“The common man will lose faith in the judiciary if he is not handed down the death penalty,” the victim’s mother said after the verdict. Her father added: “He brutally snuffed out the life of our daughter. He deserves the same fate... But he was not alone. We won’t be satisfied till the others are punished”.
The CBI had gathered at least 11 pieces of evidence, including CCTV footage, DNA samples, blood stains, and hair strands, to charge Roy, maintaining that he was the only one who committed the crime. The CBI also arrested Sandip Ghosh, the ex-principal of the medical college, and Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of the Tala police station, on charges of tampering with evidence and delaying the filing of an FIR. They were granted bail by the Sealdah court last month as the agency failed to file the charge sheet against them within the 90-day period.
The doctor’s rape and murder prompted strikes by medics across the country demanding justice for the victim and better security for medical staff. Junior doctors at RG Kar ceased work demanding concrete steps from the state government and the impasse continued for 41 days.
“We still believe that more than one person was involved and evidence was tampered with during the investigation. Unless all the persons involved are brought to justice, we won’t consider this has justice. It is not possible for one civic volunteer to enter the hospital, commit such a crime, and leave silently without being noticed,” said Aniket Mahata, a junior doctor who was part of the protest.
A three-judge bench of the then Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also weighed in on the case by moving a petition on its own last August. The top court ordered the formation of the National Task Force (NTF) to develop safety protocols for medical staff. It has time till March to submit its final report.
The gruesome crime also triggered a political slugfest in the state, with the Opposition accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of shielding the accused, a charge rejected by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led ruling party.
“CM Mamata Banerjee has been demanding the death penalty for the accused. Kolkata Police arrested him the next day. The verdict points out that the Kolkata Police’s investigation moved in the right direction. A section of the doctors and the opposition are trying to create confusion. Several rumours were floated. Those who are raising doubts and making allegations had appraised the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard everything but never intervened in the trial,” said TMC’s Kunal Ghosh.
The BJP welcomed the verdict but sought a probe into the “larger conspiracy” in the case. “We welcome the judgment. But we would have been happier if the former principal of R G Kar Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and former Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today. The allegations of a bigger conspiracy levelled by the parents and junior doctors must be looked into. It must be seen whether anyone else was also involved in the crime or not,” senior BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari said.
