A 31-year-old post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor was discovered dead in a semi-nude state with visible injuries and marks on her body on the morning of Friday, August 9.
In a preliminary post-mortem report released today, August 10, it was revealed that the post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor found dead at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was raped and physically assaulted prior to her death.
Also, the report revealed that the victim was bleeding from eyes, mouth and private parts. Injury marks were visible on the face, lips, neck, nails, stomach, right-hand ring finger, left leg and left leg ankle.
The incident has ignited widespread outrage within the medical community in India, prompting doctors and medical students to rally in protest against the unfortunate event.
What happened?
A third-year MBBS student from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) Kolkata, told EdexLive on a condition of anonymity, “We want justice, we want safety. Several resident doctors, and medical interns from colleges across Kolkata have joined our protest at RG Kar. Our motto is no safety, no duty.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened in any medical colleges in our state, or even across India. The rape and murder of a young doctor is heinous and shocking. Of course, there have been security lapses and instances of violence against resident doctors on our campus in the past. But this is a much larger problem, this is much more serious,” the MBBS student added.
Protesting the brutal incident, the resident doctors of RG Kar Medical College halted all medical services except emergency, informed the protestors.
The student reported that the victim, who was on night duty on Thursday, had just finished a 36-hour shift. Unable to find adequate on-call rooms, she went to the seminar hall to rest around 2 am after having dinner with her juniors in the canteen.
As per the preliminary autopsy report, the death is likely to have occurred between 3 am and 6 am on Friday morning.
The shocking incident highlights the critical issues of inadequate security measures and poor working conditions faced by medical interns and residents in government medical colleges.
A former medical intern from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, said, “At RG Kar, it is not unusual for doctors to endure long working hours, anywhere from 24 to 36 hours. However, the current issue is not about the length of shifts but rather a complete lapse in security. In West Bengal, or even across the country, very few medical colleges have security provisions for doctors. Even if CCTV cameras have been installed, they do not work or the footage isn't backed up. This needs to be improved. During night shifts, even male doctors are concerned about their safety.”
Today, a man was arrested in connection with the murder of the deceased PGT doctor. The man reportedly had free access to the different departments of the hospital. Meanwhile, two intern doctors have also been questioned by the police.
Protesters, however, express concern that the authorities are attempting to ‘cover-up’ facts surrounding the incident.
“What I feel and what many of us feel is that justice is delayed, in order to make changes or cover up the incident. Although everything is based on eyewitness reports, unfortunately, we lack supportive evidence. A few of the demands by protesting doctors have been addressed so far. For example, the autopsy was done in the presence of female PGT doctors from the department and judicial magistrate, and it was videographed as demanded. However, several demands are yet to be addressed,” the protestor said.
List of demands
On Saturday, August 10, the protesting resident doctors at RG Kar Medical College issued a list of demands:
1. Clarification on the status of the judicial inquiry established to investigate this matter
2. Full Post-mortem report to be released immediately
3. Official statement to be released regarding the arrest made in relation to the case
4. Fast Track court to be formed to ensure exemplary punishment of the culprit
5. Strict action against the entire security agency at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
6. Installation of CCTV with 24x7 real-time monitoring
7. Unauthorised entry to doctor's rooms and seminar rooms is to be restricted
8. Police picketing with adequate police personnel to be arranged in hospital premises
