Indian doctor arrested on suspicion of rape and murder

TEMPO.CO, Calcutta – India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Sanjay Roy, the suspected perpetrator of the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, India. The case sparked nationwide protests and paralyzed the health care system.

The perpetrator is undergoing psychological and behavioural analysis. A team of analysts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi has arrived in Kolkata to conduct the necessary tests.

The CBI has questioned Dr. Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the incident of alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor took place. The agency took Ghosh in for questioning on Friday and subjected him to further questioning till 1:40 am on Saturday, August 17, 2024.

The 31-year-old doctor-in-training was allegedly raped and murdered in a seminar room of a government hospital. Her body was found on August 9. The suspected perpetrator is Sanjay Roy, a civilian volunteer who was arrested in connection with the case.

The victim's parents have filed a case in the Calcutta High Court demanding a court-supervised investigation into the case. In addition, several other public interest litigations have been filed demanding a CBI probe into the incident.

Preliminary autopsy reports indicate that the victim was sexually assaulted and murdered. The victim was bleeding from her eyes, mouth and genitals. There were also injuries to her left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger and lips.

Kolkata Police arrested Sanjay Roy, who joined the police force as a civilian volunteer in 2019. Police claimed that the accused was married at least four times and was known to be a notorious cheater.

The accused, a trained boxer, was close to several senior police officials over the years. Thereafter, he was transferred to the Kolkata Police Welfare Board and posted to a police station at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The case has sparked a mass strike by doctors in India. Several hospitals and clinics across India refused to admit patients except in emergency cases on Saturday, August 17, 2024. The refusal came as healthcare professionals in India went on strike for 24 hours in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

More than a million doctors in India are expected to go on strike, paralyzing health care in one of the country's most populous countries. Hospitals in India said health facility staff had been deployed to treat emergency cases.

HINDUSTAN TIMES | REUTERS

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