For RG Kar victim’s colleagues, one eye on court on normal hospital duty day
Times of India | 19 January 2025
12 Kolkata: Around 2:30 pm on Saturday, when the Sealdah Court pronounced the verdict, many senior and junior doctors, and colleagues of the raped and murdered 31-year-old PGT at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital kept tabs on the court proceedings taking place 5km away while discharging their duties on the campus.
Even as the RG Kar dharna mancha was empty as the doctors were busy with their duties, they did not forget to put fresh garlands on the bust of Abhaya as well as on the Cry of the Hour — a sculpture symbolising the rape-murder victim, on Saturday. While many kept a watch on the news , a few were seen calling up their colleagues who were at the Sealdah court to get updates.
"I could not watch TV to get the updates so I stayed in touch with my colleagues over the phone. We are all looking forward to the punishment to be pronounced on Monday," said Kushal Korak, a doctor in the chest department. However, many who were not acquainted with court proceedings were expecting the quantum of punishment to be announced on Saturday itself. "I was eagerly waiting to hear about the punishment. Nevertheless, it will now be clear on Monday and I will wait for it," said an intern.
Even before the proceedings began on Saturday morning, several doctors reached the court premises. The prominent faces of the junior doctors' movement, including Aniket Mahata, Asfakulla Naiya, Debasish Halder, Arnab Mukhopadhyay and Parichay Panda, arrived at Sealdah minutes before Sanjay Roy was pronounced guilty. "We are disheartened with this kind of shoddy investigation. We will be rallying behind the parents of Abhaya until complete justice is delivered," said Arnab Mukhopadhyay, one of the junior doctors who had launched a hunger strike.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) distributed leaflets on 20 questions that they claimed were still unanswered. "We will be happy only when complete justice is delivered to Abhaya. We will be considering legal options like moving to a higher court and other forms of protest to remind that justice is not done until all guilty are punished," said Naiya. There was no celebration when the verdict was delivered.
"The few changes that we see in the healthcare system are due to our movement. But as far as the probe is concerned, we are disheartened. We are still hoping for a supplementary charge sheet by CBI," said senior resident Snighdha Hazra, who was also on hunger strike in Oct. "The CBI investigation has failed to even bring forth the motive behind this heinous crime. How can we consider that justice has been delivered?" said Soumyadip Roy, another junior doctor.
"Seeing the pace of the CBI investigation, everyone feared that the real culprits might not be caught, and only Sanjay Roy would be found guilty. This fear was not unfounded at Sealdah court," said physician Biplab Chandra. Apart from WBJDF, organisations like the Medical Service Centre, Service Doctors' Forum, and Joint Platform of Doctors congregated near the court, airing their vent against what they termed a shoddy probe.
"We knew Roy would be pronounced guilty. We are here to remind the agencies that the investigation has not been done properly," said orthopaedic professor Utpal Banerjee of Joint Platform of Doctors.
"The verdict did not address the involvement of others and those who tampered with evidence, which goes against public expectations," said physician Sajal Biswas of Service Doctors' Forum. Even as the crowd that thronged outside the court was far thinner than what used to be during the height of the movement, people from different walks of life, like homemaker Indrani Acharya from Sodepur and retired CA PK Mitra from Jodhpur Park, were among those who came to hear the verdict.