A 31-year-old resident doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata is accused of being raped and killed. This has caused national outcry, as well as numerous protests and strikes by the medical community. On Sunday, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the case. On August 20, the case will be heard by a three-judge bench chaired by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chadrachud.
This occurs one day after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) staged a 24-hour worldwide walkout in protest of the horrific event that occurred on August 9 in the state-run hospital’s seminar hall. A letter outlining demands for hospital security, a central protection legislation for healthcare personnel, and a thorough investigation of the incident was also sent by the medical body to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Doctors from public and private hospitals around the nation joined the IMA in its nationwide strike, which included the entire cessation of routine outpatient department (OPD) services as well as elective procedures, while maintaining emergency and critical services.
While the IMA 24-hour strike came to an end early on Sunday morning, a number of resident doctors’ associations (RDAs) persisted in their protests for a seventh day in major Indian hospitals, claiming ongoing safety concerns for medical personnel. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s allegedly insufficient promises regarding the occurrence led them to decide to move further.
On August 17, the ministry published a notification announcing the creation of a committee to recommend safety precautions. The body of doctors, however, expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that the prior committees had not produced meaningful outcomes.
Among the significant RDAs that are still in effect are the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
On Sunday, members of the Delhi RDA also conducted a candle march. According to a statement from the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital RDA, “residents from all medical colleges and institutions in Delhi will gather for a candle march protest in Connaught Place, as approved in our general body meeting.”
CBI examines the former principal’s call logs and interrogates him on the third day.
In connection with their investigation into the doctor’s rape and murder, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into the call logs and chat conversations of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.
An official of the central inquiry agency stated that Ghosh was questioned about the phone conversations he made both before and after the event at the hospital when he appeared before the CBI agents on Sunday for the third day in a row. “We have a set of enquiries for him,” a CBI representative informed PTI.
Thus far, the CBI has interrogated more than twenty individuals, including two Kolkata Police officials. Two days following the discovery of the woman’s body on August 9, the former principal had resigned from her position.
Every two hours, the Union Home Ministry requests that states submit a situation report.
Amidst objections by physicians, nurses, and other medical experts, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered all state police units to submit status reports every two hours. The home ministry stated that all states’ law and order conditions should be observed in light of the protests in a statement to the state police forces.
The communication on Friday stated, “Henceforth, a continuous two-hourly law and order situation report in this regard may kindly be sent to the MHA control room (New Delhi) by Fax/Email/WhatsApp from 1600 hours today.”