Handing the investigation of the rape and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the Kolkata Police to hand over all documents to the agency immediately.
Reacting to the news, a protesting doctor said, "We are very happy and relieved that the case has been transferred to CBI. The accused will be arrested soon now..."
Doctors and medical students protested at AIIMS Delhi earlier in the day after the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) called for a nationwide shutdown of OPD services from today in solidarity against the sexual assault and murder of the woman doctor.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier asked the former principal of RG Kar Medical College Sandip Ghosh to submit a leave application. This comes after Ghosh's appointment as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata immediately after his resignation from RG Kar Medical College triggered protests.
On Monday, Ghosh resigned as the principal of the college alleging that he was being defamed on social media following the incident.
The Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice division bench considered several PILs in the matter today. During the hearing, the Chief Justice questioned the appointment of the former principal.
"How can the principal - who resigned by taking moral responsibility, be appointed as the principal of another government college? The court has asked him to submit a leave application by 3 pm today or the court will pass an order for him to leave the position," the court noted.
Notably, the female trainee doctor was found dead inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. A probe established rape and murder. The body of the deceased had scratch marks indicating some struggle at the time of the incident.
Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda met with a delegation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday. The IMA has demanded an impartial and thorough investigation and punishment to the culprits from the West Bengal government.
