The Kolkata police have summoned three junior doctors and a house staff member in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday.
Amid growing outrage, the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, resigned on Monday morning. His resignation came as junior and resident doctors staged widespread protests, threatening to suspend emergency services if their demands were not met. Their demands include handing the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), setting up a fast-track court, and forming a committee to implement the Central Protection Act in all hospitals.
In an effort to defuse the situation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that she would consider transferring the case to the CBI if the Kolkata police failed to make significant progress.
“The day I got to know about the incident from the Kolkata Police Commissioner, I told him that it is a sad incident and immediate action should be taken and a fast-track court should also be set up immediately,” Banerjee said.
“The police, the dog squad, the forensic department and other teams are on the job. If the police are unable to solve this case by Sunday, we will hand it over to CBI.”
Meanwhile, in Delhi, doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital staged protests demanding justice for the victim.
Sarvesh Pandey, General Secretary of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), said that approximately 300,000 doctors across the country have joined the protest, with more expected to participate.
FORDA India President Dr. Aviral Mathur said, “We issued a notice for a nationwide strike and demanded several measures. We will call off the strike once our demands are addressed. We do not want patients to suffer, so emergency services will continue. We are in constant touch with the ministry and have full faith that our demands will be fulfilled.”