Kolkata rape and murder case: Your actions are inexplicable, ex-bureaucrats tell Mamata Banerjee

The Constitutional Conduct Group, a group of former civil servants, on Wednesday told West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that some of her administrative actions in the rape and murder case of a junior doctor in Kolkata were inexplicable.

In an open letter, the group said that it was concerned about the lack of answers to disturbing questions that the media and others had raised relating to the case and asked why and how there had been “so many missteps” by the Banerjee government.

A 31-year-old postgraduate trainee was found dead at Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The incident has sparked protests across the country.

The former bureaucrats said they hoped Banerjee would ensure that no person, irrespective of how highly-placed they may be, is protected in the matter.

“…we do find some of your actions inexplicable,” read their letter. “[As the head of state government and health and home affairs] it was for you and your officers to take steps to prevent the commission of the crime, or solve it quickly before the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] stepped in. What is the point, then, in your leading protest marches? Who or what are you protesting against?”

Banerjee also holds the Home and Hill Affairs, and Health and Family Welfare ministerial portfolios.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court transferred the rape and murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The High Court had also asked the West Bengal government why it had initially registered the doctor’s death as a suicide.

The former civil servants said they were puzzled by Banerjee and that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry must be completed by August 18 and that the “guilty persons should be hanged”.

They said that the comments were “obviously playing to the gallery” as investigations into such cases of serious crimes cannot be completed in a few days.

“Besides, all crimes have to be tried by the courts, and sentences on conviction can only be passed by them,” the former bureaucrats said. “Demanding that the guilty persons be hanged will not influence the court’s decision.”

The former bureaucrats asked Banerjee why the incident was reported to the junior doctor’s parents in instalments, “first as illness, then as death, then as suicide, and only finally” as a case of rape and murder. “The Kolkata police have denied that they had told the parents that it was a case of suicide; if so, who did?” they asked.

The retired civil servants said that the principal of the medical institute should have contacted the family and registered a first information report. “Not only did he not do this, he wanted to know why the doctor on duty had gone to sleep in the seminar room, knowing fully well that there was no place for the doctors on duty to rest at night,” they said.

They also asked why the principal had been transferred from the medical institute, only to be appointed to the position at another college in Kolkata.

Also read: What a brutal crime in a Kolkata hospital reveals about the dangers women doctors face in India

The parents of the trainee doctor “seem to have reported that other junior doctors were complicit” in the rape and murder, they said. If true, this is a serious matter and the strictest action must be taken against them and “prevent the possibility of anything like this happening” again.

“It is widely rumoured that a racket, involving sex, drugs, human organs and medical waste was being run in the RG Kar Hospital and that the unfortunate victim of this case had reported these facts to her seniors, but no action was taken,” the former bureaucrats said. “If this is a wild allegation maliciously reported in a section of the media, why has it not been appropriately countered by the state government?”

The Constitutional Conduct Group also questioned why the protesting junior doctors had specifically asked for action to be taken against the former principal, the medical superintendent, the dean of students’ affairs and the head of the chest medicine department. “Why have they singled out these personnel?” they asked.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the central investigating agency to submit a status report by Thursday. It also constituted a National Task Force of doctors to recommend measures to ensure safety in the workplace for medical professionals.

State government replaces newly-appointed principal, medical superintendent

Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday removed Suhrita Paul, who was appointed the principal of the institute days after the protests started, The Indian Express reported. Manas Kumar Bandyopadhyay was made the new principal of the college.

The hospital’s Medical Superintendent and Vice-Principal Dr Bulbul Mukhopadhyay was replaced by Saptarshi Chatterjee.

The Kolkata Police also suspended three of its officials in connection with the vandalism and assault on protestors at the medical institute on August 15.

On August 16, the Calcutta High Court criticised the lack of security measures in place to stop the violence. The state government told the High Court that security arrangements were in place at the medical college, but police personnel had been overwhelmed by the mob.

Also read:

• Rape, murder of Kolkata doctor highlight failure of workplace safety provisions for women
• Reclaim the Night, Kolkata edition: I walked with thousands of women for justice and dignity