West Bengal Congress Protests Delay in Justice for Rape and Murder of Woman Doctor

West Bengal Congress leaders protested in Kolkata demanding swift justice for a woman doctor’s rape and murder. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case on September 30, while political tensions between BJP and the state government escalate. A corruption probe led to the arrest of Sandip Ghosh.

West Bengal Congress President Subhankar Sarkar and party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury participated in a protest on Wednesday demanding a swift trial and punishment for those guilty in the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The Supreme Court had scheduled a hearing for September 30, following a suo motu petition filed regarding the case.

The case was initially listed for September 27, but Chief Justice DY Chandrachud moved the hearing date to September 30 upon the West Bengal Government counsel's request. During the last hearing on September 17, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing the State of West Bengal, informed the court of an assurance given by the Chief Minister to the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front that no punitive action would be taken against doctors returning to work.

The incident has fueled a political confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the state government, with the BJP demanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch had earlier arrested Sandip Ghosh on September 2 for alleged financial irregularities and corruption at the college and hospital, following a directive from a single bench of the Calcutta High Court. The body of the woman trainee doctor was discovered in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9.

(With inputs from agencies.)