Amid widespread protests following the rape and murder of a doctor at a medical college in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed to seek death penalty for the culprit, reported PTI on Sunday.
A 31-year-old junior doctor was found dead at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday morning. The doctor, a postgraduate student, was found in the seminar hall at the hospital.
On Saturday, the police arrested a man identified as Sanjay Roy in connection with the case. He was charged with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections pertaining to rape (64) and murder (103).
A court in Sealdah remanded Roy to police custody till August 23.
Following this, Banerjee said police camps have been set up at every hospital to prevent further assaults on doctors.
Hospital superintendents and principals are responsible for maintaining security at medical colleges and any negligence from their side would be investigated, she added.
Banerjee also said that her government would have no objections to the Central Bureau of Investigation probing the case if the doctor’s family and other students demand it.
On Sunday, the West Bengal government removed Sanjay Vashisth as superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, reported The Indian Express. He was replaced by professor Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, the dean of student affairs.
The move came amid junior doctors at the medical college staging a cease-work protest, severely disrupting patient care and forcing the hospital administration to cancel leave for all staff.
The doctors have alleged a lack of CCTV coverage and no screening of outsiders entering the hospital at night, according to The Indian Express.
Doctors in several parts of the country are also continuing to stage demonstrations condemning the rape and murder.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association has announced the nationwide halting of elective services on Monday in solidarity with doctors with RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, reported Hindustan Times.
The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association has also said it will hold a protest in government medical colleges in the state on Monday, reported PTI.
The National Doctors’ Association has called for a nationwide protest on Tuesday.
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