Mamata Banerjee's Stance on Doctor's Rape-Murder Case: Will CBI Take Over

 

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given the local police until Sunday to solve the recent rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. If they fail to make significant progress by then, the case will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This deadline comes amid mounting political pressure from the BJP.

During a Monday afternoon announcement, Banerjee praised the state police, calling them "the best in the world," but indicated that if they do not arrest all suspects by Sunday, the case will be transferred to the CBI. She also criticized the federal agency, which is under BJP's oversight, citing its historically low success rate in certain high-profile cases, including the unresolved theft of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize

Last week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mentioned that she would not object to the CBI, which operates under the BJP-led central government, taking over the investigation if that was what the protesting medical professionals demanded. She stated, "If the protesting students want another agency to handle the probe, we are open to it."

After Banerjee's ultimatum, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal detailed the police's current efforts to solve the crime. He expressed confidence that if there are additional suspects, they will be arrested within the next four or five days. A helpline has been established for doctors to provide information anonymously if they have any suspicions.

Goyal also assured that the police are in regular contact with the victim’s family and will continue to update them on the progress. If the family remains unsatisfied after these updates, the case will be handled as Banerjee has outlined.

The victim, a doctor, was discovered early Friday morning in a seminar hall at the state-run hospital. The preliminary autopsy report revealed multiple injuries, including bleeding from various parts of her body.

Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer who was a regular at the hospital, has been arrested in connection with the crime. This incident has triggered nationwide protests from doctors and political opposition.

Sanjoy Roy reportedly returned home and went to sleep before attempting to destroy evidence by washing his clothes, according to a police officer involved in the investigation.

This morning, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the Principal who faced accusations of victim-blaming, resigned, citing his inability to handle the "humiliation" and alleged "political statements" against him. He expressed his desire for the perpetrators to be punished and clarified that he had not made the controversial remarks attributed to him.

Earlier, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari criticized Dr. Ghosh and called for his suspension, accusing him of being indifferent to the victim due to his "misleading statements" and "carefree attitude."

In response to the ongoing crisis, doctors across India have declared an indefinite strike.