Doctor rape-murder case highlights | Anti-rape Bill will probably be passed in Assembly tomorrow: TMC's Kunal Ghosh

Amid furore, two more medical community members subjected to sexual abuse

- One patient has been accused of bad touch to a nurse in Ilambazar BPHC and has been arrested

- A lab technician has been arrested on a complaint of sexual molestation of a girl in Howrah District Hospital

The West Bengal police said.

Filmmakers, movie stars march with activists, students, medics to add momentum to protest

Award-winning actress-turned-filmmaker Aparna Sen, celebrity directors Srijit Mukhopadhyay and Birsa Dasgupta, singer Shovan Ganguly, movie stars like Swastika Mukherjee, Sudipta and Bidipta Chakraborty, Chaiti Ghosal, and Sohini Sarkar marched with the activists, youths, students and medics.

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TMC to boycott ABP Ananda, TV9, and Republic for anti-Bengal propaganda-driven agenda

TMC statement

The state BJP unit has slammed this move as dictatorial and 'opposed to idea of free speech'.

Watch | Protesters sing Arijit Singh's 'Aar Kobe' written for the Abhaya case

Justice delayed is justice denied says TMC's Firhad Hakim

West Bengal lawyer moves Supreme Court, claims she's being targeted by Kolkata police, Mamata government

When the Supreme Court asked her why she couldn't keep faith in the Calcutta High Court, the lawyer said "all are harassing and laughing at me for keeping faith in judiciary. It was my fault that I filed a case in TMC ruled state."

She added that the public prosecutor is a TMC cadre, and noted her "case diary has been manipulated".

She said "All evidence and witness tampered by CID officials. I had approached earlier for Sandesh Khali and now RG Kar Case. My plea was sent to HC." (Bar and Bench)

Bengal's new anti-rape bill puts BJP in a tight spot, claims TMC's Nilanjan Das

TMC trying to bring new anti-rape bill to hide main issue: Union Minister Shantanu Thakur

BJP leader's arrest in Murshidabad for molesting woman gives TMC new ammo

Think Amit Malviya has become my fan: TMC's Kunal Ghosh trades barbs over rapes in the nation

AITC suspends Ashoknagar Kalyanagarh leader for 1 year, following derogatory remarks on a protesting women

TMC's Kunal Ghosh made the announcement.

Watch | BJP leaders lead protest at DM's office seeking justice

JP workers also held a protest in Siliguri against RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder

While in Alipurduar, police use water cannons to disperse BJP workers holding a protest against RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder.

'...Police tried to stop us but we broke the barricade and came till here. What do they think?...we need a solution until then such protests will keep happening in every corner...': BJP leader Locket Chatterjee at Kolkata protest outside DM's office

Junior doctors hold protest demanding the immediate resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal over RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder

Junior doctors of different medical colleges here on Monday took out a rally to Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar demanding the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal alleging police inaction in stopping vandalism in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 14.

The agitating medics also alleged inadequate steps by the police during its probe into the August 9 rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in the state-run hospital, before the investigation was handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court on August 13.

Police put up guardrails on B B Ganguly Street leading to Lalbazar from College Square in north Kolkata to stop the rally from reaching the police headquarters.

The agitating junior doctors said that they will hold a peaceful march. (PTI)

Supreme Court dismisses WB govt's plea against bail to Chhatra Samaj leader Sayan Lahiri

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the West Bengal government's plea challenging the Calcutta High Court's order granting bail to one of the organisers of the August 27 march to the state secretariat to protest against a trainee woman d...

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Sibal hits back at Dhankhar as row over 'symptomatic malaise' remark escalates

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday fired back at Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar for criticising him over a purported SCBA resolution in which the senior lawyer reportedly described the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata as a "symptomatic malaise".

Sibal said in a post on X, "Times of India (Report); Rapes (2017 to 2022). Out of 1,551 cases of rape/gangrape followed by murder. Uttar Pradesh reported maximum cases (280) followed by Madhya Pradesh (207), Assam (205), Maharashtra (155) and Karnataka (79). Dhankar ji: Seen this? Why West Bengal missing? No malaise?"

Dhankhar has slammed Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Sibal for stating in a purported resolution that the tragic incident at Kolkata's state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was a "symptomatic malaise" and suggesting that such incidents were commonplace. (PTI)

Calcutta High Court asks Bengal govt to produce documents on arrest of 4 persons over Nabanna march

The Calcutta High Court on Monday asked the West Bengal government to produce all documents related to the arrest of four persons in connection with the August 27 march to state secretariat Nabanna to protest the rape-murder of a doctor in R G Kar hospital.

The court questioned the justification for their arrest and subsequent release 24 hours later, and enquired whether proper procedures were followed by police in detaining them.

The state told the court that it was a preventive arrest on part of the Howrah city police, who anticipated that the persons might cause serious disturbances during the protest march to Nabanna under the banner of 'Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj'. (PTI)

RSS Samanway Baithak condemns Kolkata rape-murder as 'very unfortunate'; stresses necessity of revisiting laws and penal actions to expedite swift justice

A national coordination conclave of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has condemned the incident of violence against a female doctor in West Bengal, describing it as 'very unfortunate', Sunil Ambekar, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, said here on Monday.

Addressing a press conference after concluding the three-day conclave called 'Samanway Baithak', he said there was a necessity for revisiting laws and penal actions to expedite swift justice for women who suffer atrocities.

The incident of the rape and killing of the 31-year-old female doctor at the Kolkata hospital was discussed in detail in the Baithak, he said.

Ambekar said it was a "very unfortunate incident" and "everybody is worried about it".

Observing that similar incidents were increasing in the country, he said that the meeting discussed the role of the government, official mechanism, laws, penal actions and procedures.

"All they find that there is a need for revisiting all these so that we can have proper procedure, fast-track procedures and we can deliver justice to the victim," Ambekar said.

A woman doctor was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, and a civic volunteer was arrested. (PTI)

One day, we will get justice: BJP leader Locket Chatterjee at Kolkata DM office protest in Alipore

BJP workers clash with West Bengal Police as they 'Gherao' DM office in Coochbehar over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder

Credit: X/ANI

Credit: X/ANI

'We need a fast track (system)... how we can overcome that time gap in delivering justice. This would be taken up and we will discuss...': RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar

'TMC led state govt didn't allow us to pay our respect to our doctor sister, they refused... we separately organised our condolences meeting to the departed soul': West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on BJP's condolence meeting inside Assembly complex

We doctors were suspecting from day 1 that there is an attempt of cover-up, that should be investigated: Ex- president of West Bengal Doctors Forum

Junior doctors burn effigy during protest march from College Square to Lal Bazar, demanding resignation of Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal

'Mamata Banerjee's government is chicken-hearted': BJP leader Agnimitra Paul

West Bengal BJP General Secretary and MLA Agnimitra Paul said, "Unfortunately, the government has a very small heart. Mamata Banerjee's government is chicken-hearted. An obituary was presented in the Assembly for former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. We were shocked to see that the name of our sister from RG Kar was not there. When our LoP spoke against this, the Speaker asked us to say the name. We cannot say the name but they could have addressed her as the 'RG Kar daughter'... This shows the attitude of the government."

She added, "The CM carries out Padyatra and shouts 'Phaansi, Phaansi' and makes Kapil Sibal stand in the SC... It would have taken only 10 seconds to give condolence to RG Kar daughter... The BJP MLAs and councillors kept a minute of silence and video shot it... They have told us that if we post it on social media, action would be taken against us. But we will post it because this fight is much bigger than a suspension... This fight is for all the 'Abhayas'... West Bengal police are experts in syndicating and 'Tolabazi'... They unleashed lathi-charge and tear gas on armless protestors..."

Junior doctors demand permission to march towards Lalbazar or have police commissioner Vineet Goyal visit the protest site

After junior doctors' demanded that police commissioner Vineet Goyal visits their protest site or they be granted permission to march towards Lalbazar, DC (Central) Indira Mukherjee spoke to media at the protest site. She said, "Yes, that is what they are demanding now. They were demanding something different in the morning. Again, later the demands may change again. You are seeing how the situation is developing..."

The participating doctors, who were stopped before guardrails put up by the police on BB Ganguly Street leading to Lalbazar, asserted that their rally was peaceful and their representatives would want to meet the police commissioner. As per Kolkata Police Central DC Mukherjee, the earlier list of 20 representatives was being revised to include more people but the new list had yet to be submitted.

Bengal govt proposes capital punishment for rape-murder convicts in draft Bill

The draft of the anti-rape Bill, scheduled to be tabled by the Mamata Banerjee government in the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday, proposes capital punishment for persons convicted of rape if their actions result in the victim's death or cause her to become vegetative.

Additionally, the draft stated that persons convicted of rape and gang-rape would receive a life sentence lasting for the rest of their natural lives.

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This is not exactly a doctors' movement anymore, this has become a mass upsurge, almost a revolution: Dr Koushik Lahiri, advisor for the West Bengal Doctor Forum

"Now this is not exactly a doctors' movement anymore, this has become a mass upsurge, almost a revolution kind of thing. Not only from the state, not only the city, it has become a national as well as international issue...The thing is when a murder happens or any criminal offence happens in any developed country, what do we do? We take the criminal and hand it over to the Police and start a case. After a proper investigation, they are given some justice. But what is happening here? One after another missteps on behalf of the administration are happening. So, that baffles us," said Dr Koushik Lahiri, advisor for the West Bengal Doctor Forum.

He added, "As a student of medical science, as a doctor, we are not demanding anything political, we are demanding only justice for this girl...Who are shielding this person? Who exactly, that big lawyer - I am not taking the name - and 21 other lawyers are shielding? That civic volunteer?...The past principal?...Why it is important that you cannot terminate his service? Why after he gave his resignation he was taken back into the service and given a reward post to another medical college? All these questions may be uncomfortable but as a medical faculty we have every right to ask this to the administration."

Ex-principal of RG Kar Hospital Sandip Ghosh arrested, taken to CBI Anti-Corruption Branch

Former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh arrested

The CBI on Monday arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh in connection with the alleged financial misconduct at the establishment, officials said.

Ghosh was questioned for the 15th day at the agency's Salt Lake office over the alleged rape and murder of the RG Kar hospital post-graduate trainee on August 9.

He was later escorted to the CBI's Nizam Palace office in Kolkata which houses the agency's anti-corruption wing and was shown as arrested. The hospital's former deputy superintendent Dr Akhtar Ali had lodged complaints of financial irregularities on multiple counts at the establishment during Ghosh's tenure as principal.

Ghosh was asked to go on leave by the state government after the murder of the trainee doctor came to light.

This (Anti-rape) Bill will probably be passed in the Assembly tomorrow. Everyone should support it: TMC's Kunal Ghosh

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh has expressed confidence that the Mamata-led govt's 'Anti-Rape Bill' will be passed on Aug 3. He told the press, "This bill will probably be passed in the Assembly tomorrow. Everyone should support it. TMC is the first in the country to introduce such a bill.”

He also said: "Mamata Banerjee wants the culprits to get severe punishment. There should be a time-bound trial and then hanging. Mamata Banerjee has also written a letter to PM Modi on this."

Police Commissioner Rupesh Kumar meets the junior doctors who are demanding the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal over the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder

After meeting the junior doctors who are demanding the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, Commissioner Of Police Rupesh Kumar said: "From our side, we have requested them multiple times that 163 BNS provision is implemented... if they want to send delegation, they can come and see the senior officers and give the letter if they want to."