Court Frames Murder Charges Against Accused In RG Kar Case; Trial Starts On November 11
Last Updated:
Sanjay Roy was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, a day after the on-duty woman doctor’s body was found inside the seminar room of the RG Kar hospital.
Kolkata doctor rape-murder accused Sanjay Roy | Image/File
Almost three months after a postgraduate doctor was found dead at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sealdah court on Monday framed murder charges against the accused, Sanjay Roy.
Roy has been booked under Section 103(1) (punishment for murder), Section 64 (punishment for rape), and Section 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The court announced that day-to-day trial in the case would commence on November 11.
“I have done nothing. I have been framed in this rape-murder case. Nobody is listening to me. The government is framing me and threatening me not to open my mouth,” Roy told reporters as he was led out of the Sealdah court.
Roy was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, a day after the on-duty woman doctor’s body was found inside the seminar room of the RG Kar hospital. Later, the CBI took up the investigation into the case on a Calcutta High Court order.
Senior West Bengal Congress Adhir Chowdhury said that Roy’s claims should be taken seriously and probed.
“Such claims of an accused should not be ignored and call for an investigation. We have been saying that such a crime is not possible by a single person. It’s a collective crime. We do not know whether the CBI and the Kolkata Police are in an understanding. We are sceptical,” he said.
The role of the police is also required to be probed, said Chowdhury, a former state Congress president.
In its charge sheet submitted last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identified Roy as the “sole prime accused” in the case, noting a potential “bigger conspiracy” behind the crime.
Former principal of RG Kar Hospital and suspended officer-in-charge of Talah Police Station Abhijit Mondal, who was produced before the court virtually, were remanded to judicial custody till November 18.
The counsel of the arrested duo pleaded for bail citing that they could not be termed as “accused” when the CBI has not named them in the chargesheet.
The CBI opposed the bail pleas stating that the matter is being investigated and the duo could be involved in a “larger conspiracy” as well as abetment to crime.
The Calcutta High Court on August 23 ordered the transfer of the probe into alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the tenure of its former principal Sandip Ghosh from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI. Ghosh was arrested in the case.
Crime Against Women On Rise In Bengal
The opposition parties in the state have expressed disappointment over the law and situation order in West Bengal and the increasing crimes against women.
“It is a sad fact of contemporary Bengal that atrocities are heaped upon women. This is something that the entire society has to resist forcefully and effectively, and we will do it,” the Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose said on Monday.
Despite public protests and increased vigilance from law enforcement following the RG Kar case, crimes against women have continued to rise in West Bengal.
With the highest number of cases reported from North Bengal, most incidents involve accused individuals who were found to be under the influence of alcohol.
On October 22, a minor was allegedly raped and murdered in Alipurduar. Last week, another 6-year-old child in the same district was reportedly raped and murdered. The accused in this case was beaten to death by residents.
Last week, another 9-year-old girl was assaulted in the same district. All of the victims in these cases are minors, and in Falakata, Jaigaon, and Kumargram, the accused were intoxicated at the time of the crimes and had a history of alcoholism.
Not only in Alipurduar, but the number of incidents has also risen in other districts. Last week in Nadia, a woman was returning home with her husband when she was accosted by eight men and allegedly raped. The gang that attacked her was reportedly drunk and gambling in Kalyani, Nadia.
The opposition has attributed these incidents entirely to the state government and the ruling party TMC.
Manoj Tigga, BJP MP from Alipurduar, said, “We expected that incidents like this would decrease after the RG Kar case, but the Mamata Banerjee government has failed to ensure the safety of women, and she should resign.”
“Are we sick? That’s the question that arises when children as young as 5 and 6 years are raped and murdered. Social scientists can analyze what’s happening, but it’s clear that there is lawlessness in Bengal. The Kamduni rape case was a heinous crime, yet the way it was presented in court weakened the case, denying justice to the victim’s family. The offenders believe that nothing will happen to them, which is why crimes against women are on the rise,” BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya told CNN-News18.
The ruling party, on the other hand, has stated that this is a societal problem that exists throughout India. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “This incident has been dealt with strictly by the police, but it is a societal problem that exists in India. We must fight together against it.”
“Firstly, systematic failure of law and order and maintenance of law is reason definitely but another major reason is alcoholism and unemployment. People largely in villages don’t have work and the excise policy of the Government allows liquor shops anywhere and everywhere. This is detrimental to women’s security. The government gets huge revenue, but alcoholism is a big factor. Lack of exemplary punishment is also there,” Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told CNN-News18.
Exemplary punishment is crucial in deterring criminals from committing such crimes.
While the Bengal Assembly passed a law mandating strong penalties for rape, its implementation remains a distant dream as it is currently with the President. As a result, many accused individuals are being released, which emboldens them to continue their heinous activities.
Experts believe that societal change is urgently needed to ensure the safety of women.
