The NHRC notice stated that the report should include the status of the police investigation, action taken against the guilty, details about compensation, and steps taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

A 31-year-old postgraduate student was found dead in the seminar hall at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday, triggering massive protests by doctors across the state initially and later in several cities in other states, too. The Kolkata police have set up a special investigation team, which has so far arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer attached to its force.

“Reportedly, the body of the deceased bore scratch marks, indicating that there was some struggle at the time of the incident. The family has reportedly alleged that the victim was raped and murdered…” the NHRC said in a press statement.

The NHRC said that if the media reports were true, the incident was a serious violation of the victim’s human rights.

After the murder, protests erupted not only in all state-run and private hospitals but also spilled over to the streets, with citizens joining the protest. Junior doctors and resident doctors at all state-run medical college hospitals are on strike, affecting both the outpatient department and emergencies.

The doctors’ protests intensified on Monday after the principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital was transferred to another institution in the city following his resignation earlier in the day. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set a deadline for the Kolkata police to investigate the case and remarked that if the state police cannot solve the case by the end of the week, it will be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

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