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Supreme Court hears rape and murder case of doctor in Calcutta

Supreme Court hears rape and murder case of doctor in Calcutta

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court has taken up the rape and murder case of the Calcutta doctor that has shocked the country and left the medical fraternity in uproar. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will hear the case on Tuesday.

The case is already being heard by the Calcutta High Court, which during a hearing last week ordered that the investigation be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), overriding a Sunday deadline given by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the state police.

From the beginning, doubts were raised about the police's approach to this case. The women's parents were only given a late opportunity to see the body and the autopsy report, and a volunteer was immediately arrested. This makes the case clear.

Doctors have stated, both officially and unofficially, that the extent of the woman's injuries suggests that more than one attacker was involved. There were also reports that the police hastily cremated the body, which the Kolkata police have denied.

The state's opposition BJP claims that the police are involved in a massive cover-up to protect the culprits. Its allegations gained new momentum after the hospital was attacked overnight on August 15, during the statewide women's “Reclaim the Night” demonstration. The attackers ransacked the emergency room, the BJP said, in another attempt to destroy evidence.

In a social media post today, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the doctor's intestines were “altered” by the Kolkata police. He also alleged that other evidence was tampered with.

The 31-year-old doctor was murdered in the early morning of August 9.

After a 36-hour shift, the second-year postgraduate went alone to an empty seminar room to rest on Thursday evening. The hospital has no emergency room. She had apparently fallen asleep there.

Her partially clothed body with numerous injuries was found there the next morning.

The prime suspect is Sanjoy Roy, a volunteer of the Kolkata Police who was stationed at the police outpost of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and had access to all departments.

He was arrested based on CCTV footage that showed him entering the building where the doctor was found murdered. The CCTV footage showed a Bluetooth headset around his neck, which was found next to the woman's body. It also turned out to be paired with his phone.

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