The Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) failure to file a chargesheet against R.G. Kar’s former principal Sandip Ghosh and police officer Abhijit Mandal—in connection with the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor inside R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata—has cast a shadow over the investigation and raised questions about the agency’s efficiency and commitment.
The court granted bail on December 13 to Ghosh and Mandal, the former officer-in-charge of the Tala police station. The CBI had arrested them on September 14 for tampering with evidence but failed to file a chargesheet within 90 days. While Mandal walked free, Ghosh remained behind bars due to a separate CBI case involving financial irregularities. The CBI counsel informed the court it would not file a chargesheet immediately but would continue investigating, prompting the defendants’ lawyers to seek “default bail”.
The August 9 rape and murder at R.G. Kar shocked the world and triggered widespread protests by doctors and civil society across West Bengal and India. Public outrage targeted both the crime and the alleged cover-up by hospital administrators and state police. The Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to investigate on August 13. The agency found that Ghosh and Mandal had attempted to suppress the case, raising questions about who directed them to do so. Both face Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (formerly the Code of Criminal Procedure) charges for destroying evidence and criminal conspiracy.
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The CBI’s failure, resulting in bail for Ghosh and Mandal, deals a major blow to the investigation and justice movement. The West Bengal Junior Doctor’s Front (WBJDF), leading the protests, expressed dismay at the CBI’s inaction. The victim’s parents are “deeply disheartened”. “All our efforts to get justice for our daughter seem in vain. We have nowhere to turn,” her father said.
Koel Mitra, associate professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care at Medical College Kolkata, who has been actively involved in the doctors’ protests, told Frontline: “We are devastated and must rethink our next steps. This was unexpected; we had faith in the CBI and judicial system. Nothing may come of this now, as it’s not just an institutional murder but a state-sponsored crime, supported from high places.”
On October 7, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Sanjoy Roy, a civic police volunteer and the main accused in the rape and murder case. When brought before a city court on October 8, Roy pleaded, “I have something to say. If I’m not allowed to speak, the entire blame will fall on me. I am innocent and know nothing about this case.”
No improvement on any front
The doctors’ disillusionment runs deep. On October 21, after a long-overdue meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the WBJDF ended their 17-day hunger strike—which had many doctors—after receiving assurances that the State government would address their demands.
The doctors demanded justice for the R.G. Kar victim and called for the removal of State Health Secretary N.S. Nigam, holding the Health Department accountable for administrative failures and corruption. They sought a centralised referral system across all medical institutions, alongside a digital system to monitor bed vacancies in every hospital.
Junior doctors gather at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, to pay tribute at a memorial marking four months since the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on December 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Their demands included establishing task forces with elected junior doctor representatives to oversee the installation of CCTVs, on-call rooms, and proper facilities. They pressed for stronger hospital security through permanent police officers rather than civic volunteers, and immediate action to fill vacant healthcare positions.
The doctors also called for investigative committees in medical colleges to probe threats, with a State-level inquiry committee overseeing these efforts. They demanded prompt student council elections, recognition of resident doctors’ associations, and representation in decision-making bodies. A thorough investigation into corruption within the West Bengal Medical Council and Health Recruitment Board rounded off their demands for systemic reform.
Two months later, doctors say the government has taken hardly any steps to fulfill its promises. Speaking to Frontline, Dr. Arnab Mukherjee, a WBJDF member who participated in the fast unto death agitation, said: “While we understand that our primary demand—justice for Abhaya (the victim’s given name)—lies outside State government jurisdiction, they cannot escape responsibility. The police and health departments report to the Chief Minister, and senior officials from these departments actively tampered with evidence. The State government could prevent such crimes—that’s what our other nine demands addressed. These demands called for essential systemic changes.”
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The doctors believe improving patient healthcare would naturally reduce attacks on medical staff. “We see no sign of the central referral system; patient harassment continues. The digital bed vacancy monitoring system remains non-functional in most hospitals. We’ve written to the State government three times about forming taskforces with our representatives, but no meetings have occurred. Regarding the ‘threat culture’ in medical colleges, the State government clearly supports those who perpetuate it—the whole State witnessed this during our televised meeting with the Chief Minister,” said Dr Mukherjee, a first-year post-doctoral trainee in Nephrology at SSKM Hospital.
“Hospital security shows no improvement. They’ve proposed panic buttons and more women personnel, but nothing has materialised. We fought the system, trusted its assurances, and ended our hunger strike. Now we’re forced to become cynics who expect nothing from the State,” added Dr Mukherjee.
The doctors now view intensifying their agitation as their “moral responsibility.”
