Kolkata, Aug 9 In August last year, West Bengal was rocked by widespread protests over the ghastly rape and murder of a lady junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises.
Doctors, common men, and women had taken to the streets to protest, demand justice, and hold the state government accountable for its failure to provide security to women in workplaces.
On the anniversary of the tragic incident, another round of protests and rallies is taking place to demand a fair investigation into the incident and justice for the victim.
Last year, the body of the victim was recovered from a seminar hall within the hospital premises on the morning of August 9. While the sole convict in the case and civic volunteer Sanjay Roy had already been sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court, even after a year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had been unable to complete its investigation on the “larger conspiracy” behind the crime.
A quick look over the developments shows a mixed bag of achievements and failures of the spontaneous protest movement that not only rocked West Bengal but also the entire country and even some overseas nations.
August 9, 2024: The body of the victim was recovered from the seminar hall of R.G. Kar in the morning.
August 10, 2024: Kolkata Police started an investigation and arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy.
August 13, 2024: The Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the matter.
August 14, 2024: Women called for a night vigil named ‘Reclaim the Night’. Thousands of people took to the streets in different parts of the state, including Kolkata, to mark their protest. The majority of them took out a candle march. At midnight, widespread vandalism took place at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, allegedly to destroy the evidence.
August 18, 2024: A special bench headed by the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, D.Y. Chandrachud, announced a suo motu hearing of the case.
September 2 & September 3, 2024: Junior doctors organised a drive at the city police headquarters demanding justice for the victims of RG Kar and the safety of working doctors and health workers. The probe was handed over to the then Kolkata Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal.
September 10, 2024: Junior doctors started a sit-in protest in front of Swasthya Bhavan (headquarters of the state health department).
September 11 & 12, 2024: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called a meeting of junior doctors at Nabanna. However, the meeting was cancelled on both days.
September 14, 2024: Mamata Banerjee suddenly arrived on the stage of the doctors’ protest at Swasthya Bhavan.
September 16, 2024: The Chief Minister announced the removal of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal from his post under pressure from civil society and doctors.
September 20, 2024: Junior doctors withdrew their protest from Swasthya Bhavan.
September 27, 2024: Doctors and nurses were allegedly attacked and beaten up at Sagar Dutta Medical College Hospital. A strike began in protest of the incident.
October 5, 2024: Junior doctors started a hunger strike in the Esplanade area of central Kolkata, demanding the resignation of the Health Secretary.
October 7, 2024: The CBI filed a chargesheet in the court, naming the main accused, Sanjay Roy.
October 19, 2024: The Chief Secretary went to the hunger strike venue and, through him, the Chief Minister spoke to the protesters over the phone. She requested them to break the hunger strike, but failed to break the ice.
October 21, 2024: Junior doctors met the Chief Minister again. After the meeting, the junior doctors withdrew their hunger strike on the same day. Although the hunger strike was withdrawn, the movement did not stop.
November 9, 2024: The CBI files its first charge sheet in the special CBI court (Alipore) in the parallel case on financial irregularities at R.G. Kar. Former principal of RG Kar Medical, Sandeep Ghosh, was named there, among others
January 18, 2025: Based on the evidence provided by the CBI, a trial court in Kolkata convicted the sole accused, Sanjay Roy, of the crime of rape & murder
January 20, 2025: Sanjay Roy was sentenced to life imprisonment.
January 21, 2025: The West Bengal government filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy
January 24, 2025: The CBI also filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for Roy
February 7, 2025: The Calcutta High Court dismissed the state’s petition seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy but accepted the CBI’s petition. Meanwhile, the victim’s parents did not demand the maximum punishment for Sanjay. They demanded that Sanjay was not the only one behind the incident; the CBI should find out who else is behind this. The victim’s parents approached the Supreme Court with this petition. They pleaded that there are several more witnesses, including others, whose testimonies should be recorded by the CBI. The victim’s family also requested that the Supreme Court allow the single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court to hear this case.
March 17, 2025: The Supreme Court ordered that the Calcutta High Court could hear this case.
March 28, 2025: The CBI submitted a status report before the Calcutta High Court. CBI said that the doctor-student was not gang-raped at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. CBI also said that DNA tests of samples from the scene have been conducted.
July 16, 2025: Sanjay Roy filed an acquittal petition at the Calcutta High Court seeking acquittal, which was accepted.
August 4, 2025: The Calcutta High Court sought the state’s affidavit in the case filed by the family demanding a re-investigation into the murder and rape of a young doctor at RG Kar Hospital, but the state sought more time to submit its affidavit. The state was supposed to present its statement on July 24. However, the judge expressed his anger when the state did not do so. He posted the case for further hearing on August 11.
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