Just days before the anniversary of RG Kar rape and murder case, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front the (WBJDF) is set to hold protests on August 8 and 9, the Kolkata Police has issued fresh notices to several junior doctors and medical students, asking them to appear for questioning in connection with last year’s agitation. Such action just before the anniversary sparked controversy and Juinor doctors claimed this is nothing but political conspiracy.
According to the association, at least six medical professionals who had participated in last year’s protest held in response to the alleged rape and murder of a PG medico at RG Kar Medical College and hospital have received official notices from Kolkata Police.
Through these notices, the police asked them to appear at police stations for questioning over FIRs registered during the 2024 Esplanade protest. The charges mentioned in the FIR include unlawful assembly, causing grievous harm to police, and even molestation of women police officers.
WBJDF leaders see this as a deliberate attempt to intimidate them ahead of the upcoming demonstrations. “What is the motive of digging up the cases days before we renew our movement on Aug 8 and 9? We will not be intimidated,” said anaesthesiologist Debasis Halder of WBJDF.
Protest from August 8
Starting from Friday, West Bengal is all set to be rocked again by protests on the first anniversary of the rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata last year. The protests, which have been planned by various groups will last till August 15.
The body of the junior doctor, who was raped and murdered by civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, was found at the seminar hall of the hospital, on the morning of August 9.
While Sanjay Roy had already been sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court, there have been allegations of a larger conspiracy in the crime, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had been investigating this angle.
However, the central agency was unable to complete its investigation into the alleged “larger conspiracy” behind the crime.
Apart from protesting against the state administration, the movement on the first anniversary of the rape and murder will also focus on the alleged inability of the CBI to complete a fool-proof investigation into the matter.
Faces of protest also faced wrath of state administration
Aniket Mahato, Ashfaqulla Naiya and Debashis Halder—who were at the forefront of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital protests over the August 9 rape and murder of their colleague—approached the High Court in May this year, challenging the state’s decision in the posting controversy. After hearing the case, High Court stalled the transfer order of these three doctors.
The state Health Department had transferred them to Malda, Purulia and Uttar Dinajpur, respectively. The three doctors moved the High Court against their posting, calling it arbitrary and alleging that the state government was punishing them for leading the protests. They contended that they were transferred to district hospitals barely three months after getting their first postings in February—when Halder was posted at Howrah, Mahato at Hooghly, and Naiya at Kolkata.