As the nation grapples with outrage over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, another harrowing crime has emerged from Uttarakhand. A nurse, working in Rudrapur and mother to an 11-year-old girl, was raped and murdered by a drug addict who abandoned her body in an empty plot in Uttar Pradesh.
The investigation into the nurse’s disappearance began on July 31, after her sister reported her missing when she failed to return home on July 30. CCTV footage from Indra Chowk showed her boarding an e-rickshaw to return from work, with police identifying a suspicious man following her.
On August 8, her decomposed body was discovered in Bilaspur, Uttar Pradesh. Senior Superintendent of Police Udham Singh Nagar, Manjunath T C, confirmed the body was the missing nurse and revealed she had been raped and strangled.
The breakthrough in the case came through tracing the stolen mobile phone and cash from the victim. Dharmendra, a daily wage laborer from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on August 14. His wife was also apprehended for questioning. Dharmendra confessed to dragging the nurse into the bushes, assaulting her, and strangling her with a scarf before fleeing with her belongings.
In parallel, Kolkata remains in turmoil over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at R G Medical College and Hospital. Amid widespread protests, the Calcutta High Court has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure expedited justice.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced a nationwide withdrawal of non-essential medical services from 6 am on Saturday, August 17, to 6 am on Sunday, August 18, in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
In a statement released on Thursday, the IMA clarified that essential services will continue to operate, with emergency and casualty departments being manned as usual. However, routine outpatient services and elective surgeries will be halted during this 24-hour period across all sectors where modern medicine doctors are employed. The IMA emphasized the need for national solidarity with the doctors' cause, urging the public to support their protest.
Simultaneously, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) announced the resumption of its strike, just hours after unidentified miscreants vandalized parts of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the site of the heinous crime. This decision follows closely on the heels of FORDA's earlier move to call off the strike, a decision they now acknowledge caused "distress and disappointment" within the medical community.
The atmosphere at RG Kar Medical College remains tense, with the medical community and public alike reeling from the violence and loss. As the IMA and FORDA continue their protests, the focus remains on demanding accountability and ensuring the safety of medical professionals across the country.
