The investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital is currently centered around a personal diary maintained by the victim and which was handed over to investigating officials by the victim’s parents.
Other than this personal diary, a doctor’s notepad is also being looked at for any possible leads, sources told CNN-News18, adding that the diary is believed to hold crucial information about the events leading up to her death.
The pages are also being scanned to know if she had any interaction, threat, or altercation with accused Sanjay Roy, they said.
The probe agency has prepared a list of around 40 people, including doctors and police officers, whom they would be questioning as a part of its investigation, the officer said, adding, they have already quizzed over 20 people so far.
A couple of psychologists from New Delhi also flew down to Kolkata on Saturday to take part in the questioning, the officer said.
Separate teams of the central investigating agency also reached the crime scene at the RG Kar hospital and the barrack of the Kolkata Police’s Armed Forces fourth battalion in Salt Lake, where the arrested prime accused, civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, was putting up.
NHA asks states to provide 2-hourly situation report
The Union Home Ministry has asked all state police forces to provide it situation reports every two hours in the wake of protests by doctors, nursing staff and others against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
In a communication to the state police forces, the home ministry said that the law and order situation of all states should be monitored in view of the protests. “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,” the communication sent on Friday said.
‘Don’t want to be next victim’
“I don’t want to be the next victim”, read placards carried by several women medics who were part of a march here on Saturday to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata last week. Hundreds of medics, including doctors and resident doctors, wearing stethoscopes over their white aprons, started their march from the Lady Hardinge Medical College on the sixth day of their agitation over the incident and to press for their demands such as a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel.
On reaching Connaught Place, they held around 25-minute sit-in, before police removed barricades and allowed them to proceed to the Jantar Mantar for the next phase of their demonstration – a candle light march.
Non-emergency services, such as OPD and diagnostics, and elective surgeries at city-based health facilities, including at Centre-run AIIMS, Safdarjung hospital and RML hospital, are hit since Monday. The inconvenience of patients further increased as personnel of private institutions such as Sir Ganga Ram, Fortis, and Apollo also joined protests on Sunday following a call by apex doctors’ body Indian Medical Association (IMA) for a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services.
IMA seeks PM Modi intervention
The IMA on Saturday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the implementation of its demands – a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of resident doctors, a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel at workplaces, declaration of hospitals as safe zones with the first step being mandatory security entitlements, meticulous and professional investigation of the last week incident in Kolkata, and an appropriate and dignified compensation to the bereaved family.
CBI grills ex-RG Kar hospital principal for day 2
The former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, was on Saturday questioned for several hours by the CBI for the second consecutive day, as part of its probe into the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run medical establishment, officials said.
After Friday’s grilling, which continued till early Saturday, Ghosh was again summoned at the CBI office for another round of questioning, they said.
He was seen re-entering the CBI office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake with a bunch of papers and files a little before 10.30 am on Saturday, and hadn’t left the premises till reports last received.
In the latest round of questioning, he was quizzed about his whereabouts on the night of the death of the postgraduate trainee, who called him to inform about the incident, and his primary reaction to it, the officials said.
The CBI sleuths also corroborated his version with that of doctors, interns, and nurses who were on duty at the hospital on that night.
During the initial round of interrogation, the former principal was asked about his first reaction after getting the news of the doctor’s death, whom he instructed to inform the family and how and who contacted the police, the officials said. “Certain answers were convoluted. He was grilled till early Saturday and then allowed to leave for home before he was asked to appear again,” a CBI officer told PTI.
Ghosh had resigned from the post two days after the trainee doctor’s body was discovered on August 9. The CBI team also enquired about the weekly roster of the chest medicine department where the victim was seen to be put on duty for a gruelling 36 hours at a stretch or, at times, even 48 hours, he said.
Govt to form security panel; IMA’s 24-hour strike cripples OPDs nationwide
The government’s assurance on Saturday to form a panel for suggesting measures to boost the safety of healthcare personnel failed to quell protests by medics who remained firm on their demand for a central law on the matter and decided to continue their agitation against the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor in Kolkata.
OPD services were hit across the country as doctors joined the 24-hour nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest the incident at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital last week and the subsequent vandalism at the facility.
The association also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in realising its five demands, including a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel and declaring hospitals safe zones with mandatory security entitlements.
Resident doctors at government hospitals in different parts of the country, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Haryana among others, have been protesting since Monday.
On Saturday, the Union health ministry said representatives of all stakeholders, including the state governments, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee as it urged the doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in view of the rising number of dengue and malaria cases.
Representatives of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), IMA and resident doctors’ associations of government medical colleges and hospitals of Delhi met the Union health minister in the wake of the Kolkata incident.
While the IMA said it is studying the statement released by the ministry assuring doctors of all possible efforts to ensure their safety and offering to form a committee to suggest measures for the same, the AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) said similar panels have been formed in the past without any significant progress or the passage of relevant legislation.
The IMA said it will respond to the ministry’s statement after careful consideration of all aspects and consultations with its state branches.
On the government’s assurance, the AIIMS RDA said the ministry’s statement assuring the protesting doctors of constituting a committee to suggest all possible measures for ensuring safety of healthcare professionals lacks confidence and trust.
It said similar committees have been formed in the past without any significant progress or the passage of relevant legislation. “It was decided unanimously to continue the strike as our demands remain unaddressed. This includes halting academic activities, elective OPDs, ward, and OT services, while maintaining emergency services, ICUs, emergency procedures, and emergency OT,” the RDA said in a statement.
With inputs from agencies.
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