How CBI’s RG Kar chargesheet provides relief to Trinamool government

The first charge sheet filed by the CBI in the rape and murder case of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) on August 9 is a respite for the Kolkata Police and the West Bengal government and names civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, who was arrested the next day by the city police as a lone perpetrator. As many had alleged that it was a case of gang rape and that the Trinamool Congress was shielding the perpetrators by manipulating evidence by the Kolkata Police, the ruling party claimed that the charge sheet vindicated its government.

Roy was handed over the CBI when the Calcutta High Court directed the central agency to take up the case. The chargesheet was filed on October 7 – the 58th day since the CBI began the investigation. While the details have not been disclosed, sources at the agency say it mentions how Roy spotted the victim in the seminar room, pounced on her and hit her when she resisted, rendering her unconscious and leaving her in one after raping her left in a vegetative state. Although there is no mention of gang rape, the agency will likely continue to examine the possibility of others’ involvement in the crime.

While the investigation was initiated citing Sections 64 and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with rape and murder, Section 66, which deals with hurt causing death or injury to the victim, was added to the charge sheet Leaving you in a vegetative state.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh pointed out that “the only person the CBI has found guilty has been arrested by the Kolkata Police” and asked what those who had demanded a CBI probe had to say now . “The CBI has not cited anyone for involvement in the alleged gang rape, criminal negligence in the autopsy or tampering with evidence at the police station – even though all the affected persons were either in their custody or within their reach,” he added.

The gruesome incident had sparked a widespread movement led by young doctors in Calcutta and its suburbs. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee replaced IPS officer Vineet Goyal with Manoj Verma as city police commissioner, giving in to the demands of medical experts who had accused Goyal of leading a poor investigation. The opposition parties – the CPI(M), the BJP and the Congress – have equally alleged that others are involved in a much larger conspiracy. Seven young doctors, including three women, fast unto death in Esplanade, Calcutta, demanding justice. Also, more than 50 senior doctors of RGKMCH have tendered their resignations in solidarity with their junior doctors

Meanwhile, on the same day the charge sheet was filed, chief secretary Manoj Pant claimed that more than 90 percent of the work to ensure safety of doctors in hospitals would be completed by October 10 and that everything, including CCTV and rest periods, would be completed would rooms, was expected to be operational by October 15th.

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