The Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, has been granted permission to conduct a polygraph test on the accused, a civic volunteer in the agency's custody, as protests continue to disrupt healthcare services in state-run hospitals across West Bengal for the eleventh straight day.
The CBI, tasked by the Calcutta high court to probe the case, received local court approval to conduct a polygraph test on the accused, days after performing a psychoanalysis test on him.
The protests escalated on Monday as senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami, who had posted about the incident on social media, appeared before police after leading a march of hundreds of healthcare professionals from Calcutta Medical College to Kolkata Police headquarters, where they were stopped near Phears Lane-BB Ganguly Street and escorted inside by senior officers.
The Kolkata police, intensifying its crackdown on alleged social media misinformation — which the opposition has criticised as an attempt to silence dissent — arrested a person for allegedly disclosing the victim's identity on social media and issuing threats to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The young woman doctor, whose body was found on August 9, was allegedly raped-murdered while on duty, leading to the arrest of a civic volunteer by the Kolkata police the next day, and the Calcutta high court subsequently ordered the transfer of the probe to the CBI on August 13, with the agency starting its probe on August 14.
Speaking to reporters, Dr Kunal Sarkar said, "We want justice for the young doctor, and we have not committed any crime."
Both the doctors came out of police headquarters within an hour and claimed that police had dismissed their summons and had sought the cooperation of the medical fraternity.
"They sought our cooperation. However, sending a summons is not a proper way of seeking cooperation. We told police to think at least twice before sending summons to a doctor on flimsy grounds," Goswami said.
Several former students of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital joined the ongoing demonstrations, staging a sit-in alongside younger doctors and holding placards demanding swift justice.
A veteran doctor from the 1964 batch said, "What has happened in the hospital is just unthinkable, and it is the call of the hour to hit the streets to protest."
A person was arrested in Kolkata for allegedly revealing the identity of the doctor on social media and making threats against CM Mamata Banerjee, following a complaint lodged at Taltala police station.
The police have also sent summons to several social media users over their posts.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy moved Calcutta High Court to challenge a notice from police requiring him to explain a social media post he made about the case.
The three-term TMC MP, reflecting on the scale of public protests, remarked, "In my 50 years of political career, I have never witnessed such spontaneous public protests."
The incident exposed a rift within the TMC regarding handling the issue and the resulting protests.
"There are differences within the party on how the incident should have been tackled. Some feel the state's response has been slow, allowing the protests to escalate. Others believe that opposition parties have seized the opportunity to use the protests against the government," a senior TMC leader said on condition of anonymity.
This internal disagreement has created the impression that the party is not united on the issue.
Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh has voiced concerns about the delay in the investigation since the CBI took over the case.
Ghosh noted that while Kolkata Police had made significant progress before the case was transferred, it is now up to the central agency to deliver an early breakthrough.
He said, "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said if necessary, the probe would be handed over to the CBI. Kolkata Police made an arrest within 12 hours of starting the investigation. The CM only sought time until last Sunday, but the probe was handed to the CBI before that."
The tragic incident has become a major political issue, with the BJP calling for the resignation of Mamata Banerjee on Monday, accusing her of being "shameless" and alleging that she destroyed crucial evidence to protect those responsible for the crime.
