The West Bengal government has drafted new rules to enhance the security of working women, especially those on night shifts. The rules include setting up a mandatory complaint committee and installing CCTV cameras at workplaces.
CBI officers who supervised investigations into the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata and the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar are among those awarded police medals on Republic Day.
Banerjee, who also takes care of the home department, said Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has offered to resign in the wake of the protests but "we need someone who knows law and order ahead of Durga puja".
Officials said the three others who have been arrested are Ghosh's security guard Afsar Ali (44), and hospital vendors Biplav Singha (52) and Suman Hazara (46) who used to supply material to the hospital.
The victim's mother expressed hope that the discussions between the CM and the agitating doctors would yield results.
Alleging that the West Bengal government headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to carry out its basic duties to protect the lives and properties of citizens, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday said that his office is already intervening in the RG Kar impasse under provisions in the Constitution.
A Kolkata court will pronounce the sentence on Monday for Sanjay Roy, convicted of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death. The judge will also address questions raised by the victim's father and criticize some activities of the police and hospital authorities.
Ghosh was asked to specify his role after getting the news of the death of the doctor, who he had contacted and why he made the parents wait for nearly three hours, he said.
Sanjay Roy, convicted for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2022, will initially work as a gardener at the Presidency Correctional Home where he is lodged. He will later be trained for other jobs such as tailoring, carpentry, or manufacturing of aluminium utensils. As an unskilled worker, Roy will be paid a daily wage of Rs 105.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an appeal in the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, who was sentenced to "life imprisonment until death" for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The CBI argued that the crime falls under the "rarest of rare" category deserving capital punishment, while the trial court had ruled otherwise. The West Bengal government has also appealed for the death penalty, but the CBI opposed the state's right to file an appeal, claiming it was the prosecuting agency and therefore had the right to appeal on the grounds of inadequacy of the sentence. The high court will hear the appeals from the CBI, the victim's family, and the convict on January 27.
Chattopadhyay was seen being taken out of his residence at Subhasgram in South 24 Parganas district around 2 pm by ED officials, who previously conducted search operations at the premises for over seven hours.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in connection with alleged financial irregularities at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, naming former principal Sandip Ghosh and others as accused.
The agency has slapped Section 120B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 420 IPC (cheating and dishonesty) and Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) which covers unlawful acceptance of gratification by a public servant.
The Calcutta high court on Tuesday directed that a resolution by the special college council members of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital to suspend 57 medics/students will not be effected, until and unless a decision is arrived at by the West Bengal government in this regard.
The Calcutta High Court has directed the CBI to produce the case diary related to its investigation into the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar hospital. The court questioned the CBI about the possibility of gang rape or destruction of evidence in its probe. The parents of the victim, who are petitioners in the case, have requested a court-monitored investigation, alleging a larger conspiracy behind the crime. The CBI has already filed a charge-sheet in the case, leading to the conviction and life imprisonment of Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer, for the crime. However, the court has sought clarification from the CBI on whether it considered investigating the crime under Section 70 (gang rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In a video message, Bose also said he will also socially boycott the chief minister.
The top court also questioned the West Bengal government's decision to hire contractual employees for the protection of doctors and other staff in hospitals.
A Kolkata court rejected a petition by the parents of the R G Kar Hospital rape-murder victim to allow their lawyer to visit the scene of the crime, citing a lack of legal basis and potential violation of established procedure.
The West Bengal government has sought permission from the Calcutta High Court to appeal against the Sealdah court order that sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death in the RG Kar hospital doctor's rape and murder case. The state government is seeking the death penalty for Roy, the sole convict in the case, and has expressed dissatisfaction with the Sealdah court's verdict, which did not consider the crime "rarest of the rare." The court also ordered Roy to pay a Rs 50,000 fine and directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.
Maintaining that other persons were also involved in the crime, the parents of the victim have said that they expect that they will also be arrested and tried before the court.
Sanjoy Roy, the accused in the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar hospital in Kolkata, was sentenced to life imprisonment till death on Monday. His mother, Malati Roy, who had previously expressed support for the punishment, shut herself in her home and refused to speak to reporters. Neighbors and family members of Roy have questioned whether he acted alone in the crime, suggesting others may have been involved.
The CBI's failure to file a chargesheet within the mandated 90 days has resulted in bail being granted to two key suspects in the rape-murder case of an on-duty medic at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. This comes just days after the West Bengal Police secured capital punishment for a convict in a similar crime against a minor. The delay in justice has sparked outrage, particularly among the victim's family and junior doctors who are demanding accountability.
The top court said it had already passed an order on this issue and it was for the law enforcement agencies to implement the order.
The Supreme Court has allowed the parents of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim to pursue their plea for a further court-monitored CBI probe into the incident before the Calcutta High Court. The parents had expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI's initial probe and sought a more thorough investigation. The court, without making comments, disposed of the application, allowing the parents to continue the proceedings before the high court. The case has also prompted the Supreme Court to consider recommendations for preventing gender-based violence and developing safety protocols for medical staff at hospitals across the nation.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover will no longer be representing the family of the victim in the R G Kar Medical College rape-murder case. The trial court has been informed and Grover's chamber, including advocates Soutik Banerjee and Arjun Gooptu, are now discharged from the matter. The chamber had been representing the victim's family pro bono since September 2024, but "certain intervening factors and circumstances" have led to Grover's withdrawal. The case is currently being investigated by the CBI after the Calcutta High Court transferred it from the Kolkata Police.
The parents of the victim doctor in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case have alleged that the investigation is incomplete and several others involved in the crime are still at large. The court is set to deliver its verdict on Saturday, with Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, facing charges of committing the crime. The victim's parents expressed concerns about the presence of other individuals at the crime scene who remain unidentified. The CBI, which is investigating the case, has sought capital punishment for Roy, claiming he was the sole perpetrator.
Pronouncing sole accused Sanjay Roy guilty of rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at state-run RG Kar hospital, Sealdah court judge Anirban Das on Saturday said the convict had attacked the postgraduate trainee while she was asleep in the hospital's seminar room around 4 am on August 9, 2024.
The central probe agency had also placed the findings before a special court in Kolkata during a hearing earlier in the week, he said.
The mother of Sanjoy Roy, convicted for the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, has said she accepts the verdict and believes her son should be punished, even if it means hanging. The court will announce the sentence on Monday.
In the state capital Kolkata, civil society members marched from Ramlila Maidan in Moulali to Metro Channel in Esplanade, demanding justice for the victim of the crime that shook the conscience of the nation.
The rallies were organised from R G Kar hospital, Sagore Dutta Hospital, SSKM Hospital, Calcutta Medical College, and Jadavpur in south Kolkata.
The anti-corruption unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation also searched the residences and offices of those engaged in supplying materials for the management and care of patients.
R G Kar Medical College's former principal Sandip Ghosh was found to be 'deceptive' while answering important questions on the rape and murder of a trainee woman postgraduate doctor during his polygraph test and layered voice analysis, officials said.
Bandyopadhyay, eminent playwright and director, said in a statement that he is returning the award conferred on him earlier this year by the Paschimbanga Natya Akademi and the Rs 30,000 monetary grant.
The draft legislation seeks capital punishment for persons convicted of rape if their actions result in the victim's death or leave her in a vegetative state.
Although no fresh arrests were reported in the case, the Central Bureau of Investigation continued with its questioning of top officials of the RG Kar Hospital.
On a day when both the West Bengal government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) moved the Calcutta high court for admission of their appeals seeking capital punishment for RG Kar hospital rape-murder convict Sanjay Roy, a counsel for the victim's parents claimed that the family does not want death penalty for him.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an SIT investigation into the alleged torture of a woman in police custody following her arrest over protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
'People have lost hope of finding justice in this state ... I want to give these victims, their families, the people of this state, a voice.'
Refusing to stop streaming live proceedings in the suo motu case related to the incident, the apex court said it was a matter of public interest and the public must know what is transpiring in the courtroom.
