Kolkata: Ten months after the brutal rape and murder of a junior resident doctor in Kolkata’s R.G.Kar Medical College and Hospital, life is slowly crawling back to normal at one of the busiest government hospital in the city.
A large hoarding demanding justice for the victim greets visitors as they enter the main gate. The light blue coloured walls still have remnants of the graffiti and slogans drawn on them during the protests demanding justice for the victim.
The serpentine queue of patients waiting their turn have returned as doctors and students go about their work. But the one thing that stands out—since the incident happened and brought R.G.Kar to national focus—is the heightened security presence inside the campus.
The entrances of the sprawling government medical college and hospital now have Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) posts, as do all the other buildings related to medical treatment. Each wing is manned by two CISF personnel, while more are present inside the premises keeping hawk eyes round-the-clock.
Medical students, interns and doctors The Print spoke to, especially the female students unanimously agreed to one thing—the security arrangements have improved and they feel far more safe now. But they say the wounds from last August’s incident are still fresh.
The students said they are disappointed at the way the investigation has progressed. But they were hesitant to speak openly on the “controversial matter” fearing trouble. Things are normal on the surface. Beneath there is a lot of unease among the students and doctors.
R.G.Kar Medical College and Hospital had become the epicentre of protests, with junior doctors going on strike inside the premises for months demanding justice for the 31-year-old victim. Students and doctors from medical colleges across the city also joined the protests.
It was not just the medical fraternity. The civil society came out on the streets in droves to support the striking doctors and demanding answers. The incident took political colour with the opposition putting pressure on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government for swift action.
An MBBS intern, who did not want tro be named, told ThePrint that she feels safer now because the security has been improved near the girls’ hostel. “CISF personnel are always present in the campus. I don’t feel unsafe but I am not very satisfied with the result of the investigation. So, the scenario is a little bit better only in terms of security,” she said.
A senior doctor, who is an alumna of the medical college, said that over the years, she has seen a deterioration in safety and work culture.
“It was not (likely) for one person to do it and even if I agree, that one person has done it, where did he get the audacity to climb up so many stairs,” she said, adding that it was the sheer lack of security measures that led a civic volunteer to enter the building.
She pointed out that it gives a message that “political connections” can help anyone get away with anything. “It gives that message.”
“Why was the cover up done? He (accused Sanjay Roy) was just a civic volunteer; he was not connected or a politically important person. The problem started there, if there was no cover up from the beginning, then it would not have escalated to this level.”
That sentiment was overriding when ThePrint visited R.G.Kar on 9 and 10 June and spoke to various stakeholders. In fact, many of the students and doctors declined to speak on record saying that they could get into trouble for talking about “controversial matters”.
A group of third-year nursing students, who were returning from an exam, agreed that even though they feel safer now, they are disappointed in the probe and its outcome.
“The security can still be improved as each ward still has dark corners, where there is probably no CCTV surveillance,” one of them said. “Digital footage is very important these days. Even in the current investigation, there are a lot of issues due to a lack of CCTV footage, which is why so many questions have arisen.”
Sanjay Roy, the lone accused, was convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Kolkata court on 20 January. The other case is related to corruption, financial irregularities and evidence tampering against the then Principal of RG Kar, Sandip Ghosh and the Officer-in-Charge of the Tala Police station, Abhijit Mondal, is still ongoing.
Despite the arrests and the verdict, the city has seen regular protests demanding justice and rejecting both the Kolkata Police and the Central Bureau Of Investigation’s claims that Sanjay Roy is the sole perpetrator of the crime.
On 9 June, members of the civil society took out a procession that first stopped near the Tala Police Station and then reached R.G.Kar to offer prayers at a bust called ‘Cry of the Hour’ that has been installed inside the campus. Initially, they were met with resistance from the Kolkata Police and the CISF posted at the gates but were later allowed to enter in small numbers.
Aniket Mahata, one of the faces of the protest by the doctors of R.G.Kar, said that true justice has still not been delivered and questioned whether indeed there was only one perpetrator.
“The post mortem report and the CBI MIMB (Multi Institutional Medical Board) reports, clearly mention smothering, throttling and assault. So how is it possible for one person to do all these things? We think that it is clear from these reports that more than one person is involved. However, only Sanjay Roy has been convicted but the rest of the criminals are out roaming in broad daylight. So, what kind of justice is this? We can never accept it,” Mahata, the senior resident doctor of R.G.Kar, said.
Pointing out the CBI’s delay in filing the supplementary chargesheet, he said, “It has committed to submit a supplementary chargesheet. The solicitor general has stood in the Supreme Court and said so, but it’s been 10 months. Where is the supplementary chargesheet?”
The R.G.Kar episode, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim told ThePrint, has not only put a dent on the image of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but also on the image of BJP because of “a tacit arrangement” with the Centre.
He added that the incident was a good opportunity to investigate the corruption in the health sector and expose the scam in medicine procurement and supplies but “they did not dig further.”
“There is frustration among people from all walks of life as the government was irresponsive despite the movement,” he added.
But TMC Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy asserted that the perpetrator has been convicted in the case. “Hence, the incident will not have any political impact on West Bengal’s elections next year,” he said in response to the fallout of the high-profile case.
Priyadarshini Basu is an intern who graduated from ThePrint School of Journalism.
(Edited by Tony Rai)