Doctors and medical students of AIIMS Delhi staged a massive protest on Monday against the sexual assault and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The Federation Of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has given a call for a nationwide medical strike against the incident.
Hospital services across West Bengal were disrupted on Monday as junior doctors, interns, and postgraduate trainees continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day, demanding justice for the victim.
#WATCH | RG Kar Medical College & Hospital incident | Delhi: Doctors and medical students gathered to protest over the Kolkata medical student death incident.
The members of FORDA call for a nationwide strike and demand justice for the tragic death of a second-year PG resident… pic.twitter.com/b1LlXuV26t
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2024
Meanwhile, the principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh,
has resigned from his post. “I am getting defamed on social media…The deceased doctor was like my daughter. As a parent, I resign…I don’t like that this should happen to anyone in future,” he said.
Demands By FORDA
After meeting Secretary MoHFW, Apurva Chandra, FORDA General Secretary Dr Sarvesh Pandey, said, “We met the Health Secretary. We released a press release yesterday mentioning our demands that the Principal of RG Kar Medical College should be removed immediately, CBI inquiry, fast-track court and that a committee of the Central Protection Act. We will continue our strike until we get a written assurance that our demands will be fulfilled. During the strike, elective surgeries will be hampered and only Emergency Services will function. Around 3 lakh doctors across the country have joined the protest…”
#WATCH | Delhi: Rape-murder of a PG trainee woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata | After meeting Secretary MoHFW, Apurva Chandra, FORDA General Secretary Dr Sarvesh Pandey, says “We met the Health Secretary. We released a press release yesterday… pic.twitter.com/nUYsZPWE2q
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2024
The Incident
The semi-nude body of the woman PGT doctor, a second-year student in the chest medicine department, was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital on Friday. She was on duty on Thursday night, and her body bore multiple injury marks. The preliminary autopsy report indicated sexual abuse before her murder, leading her father to allege that she was raped and murdered inside the hospital.
Kolkata Police identified and arrested a suspect identified as Sanjay Roy in the case. Roy is an outsider who had easy access to several departments of the hospital due to his role as a civic volunteer in the police welfare board. Sources said that Roy was arrested after his activities were found to be quite suspicious.