“She was the target of an accused who may be part of a conspiracy hatched by Big Fish”: Colleagues of a doctor from Calcutta

Several colleagues of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered while on duty in the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have expressed suspicion that the victim may have been targeted because she knew something she was not supposed to know.

The parents and colleagues of the second-year student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital also insisted that Sanjoy Roy, who has been arrested so far in the case, “could just be a small fish or even a scapegoat and that the real culprits have not been caught yet.”

The victim was under enormous stress

The victim mentioned in her diary that she had been under tremendous stress and burdened with intense work for the past few weeks. As a second-year student, she had been at the institute for a year and as a junior doctor, it was common to work 36 hours at a time.

According to the report by Times of IndiaColleagues said punitive transfers and shifts were common at the government hospital. Some claimed the victim was trying to expose a possible “medical” scam and was murdered to silence her voice.

“We suspect that this was not a simple case of rape and murder? She was the target of the attack. How did the volunteer know that she was alone in the seminar room at that time?” said one of the colleagues.

“Possible drug fraud”

Another colleague claimed the victim may have known too much about something she shouldn't have. “There are rumors about a possible drug scam in her department that she was trying to uncover,” he said.

Shortly after the doctor's parents learned of her death, they told police that she had complained to them about the enormous pressure at work. They also told police that she might have learned something in the department.

Several colleagues said that “punishing overwork” was a standard practice in the institute, strictly monitored by former principal Sandip Ghosh.

Some insiders said the aspiring doctor worked extremely hard and focused on her career. She always wanted to be a doctor and chose medicine even though she had also passed the engineering entrance exam, the report said.

The horrific incident has shocked the country and nationwide protests are demanding an immediate investigation. Resident doctors and medical students in hospitals and medical colleges in Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and other cities protested and demanded a speedy investigation.

Healthcare services across West Bengal were disrupted for the tenth consecutive day on Sunday as protesting junior doctors at government hospitals continued their walkout demanding justice for the victims.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of investigation in the case from the Calcutta police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which began its investigation on August 14.