Kolkata Rape Case: “At the stroke of midnight, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom…”. Remember those lines? The famous speech was given by the first prime minister of this nation at the twilight hours of the birth of our young nation. Well, the people of Kolkata have taken the famous message to their hearts as they march onto the streets at the stroke of midnight hour.
The Tragic Rape Incident: A Young Doctor’s Life Cut Short
The rape and killing of a young trainee doctor at one of the most prestigious medical colleges/hospitals in the city has rocked the capital of the eastern state in the last week or so. The midnight march was just the latest act of the mass civil society of the historic city to cry out its anger against the daily occurrence of violence towards women and the government’s inability to take proper timely action to prevent or prosecute the accused.
The victim, Moumita Debnath was a second-year postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. On 9 August 2024, after being reported missing by colleagues at about 11:30 am the trainee doctor’s body was discovered in one of the college’s seminar rooms in a semi-nude state with her eyes, mouth, and genitals bleeding.
She was later declared dead. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped and sexually assaulted and was later throttled to death, with her thyroid cartilage broken due to the strangulation. In the report, there was also mention of a deep wound in her genital tract, lips, left leg, right hand, ring finger, neck, and face.
Public Outcry and Protests
News of this horrible act soon spread among the masses through traditional and social media causing a quick popular uproar against the latest victim of the shameful trend. A police complaint was soon registered on the account of murder and rape as well as assault and attempt of murder charges also.
Following an investigation, the police arrested Sanjay Roy on 9 August, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police Disaster Management Force and a member of the police welfare association whose Bluetooth headset was found on the crime scene.
Several doctors who had access to the postmortem report claimed that 151 milligrams of semen were found in the victim’s body indicating the possibility of gang rape also. The popular outcry soon manifested itself into a protest movement demanding justice for the now-dead rape victim and her family.
Kolkata Rape Case Resignation and Controversies
The public attention soon turned against Dr. Sandip Ghosh, an orthopedic surgeon and the principal of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, whose derogatory comments on women quickly put him into public crosshairs. He soon resigned from his post and was transferred to Kolkata Medical College amid the protests surrounding the incident and after a mass popular demand to do so.
His political connections though soon came into light in that time also promoting many political opponents of the current government to link the act of the crime with the ruling All India Trinamool Congress party officials.
High Court Intervention and the CBI Investigation
On 13 August 2024, the Calcutta High Court, the highest judiciary body of the state of West Bengal asked the state police to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while expressing discontent with the investigation so far.
Central Bureau of Investigation inspectors, officers, and investigators soon arrived at the state from Delhi to continue their work and promised to expedite and prosecute the alleged suspect.
The ruling government officials including West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee also spoke out against the horrible act and offered all the assistance to identify and prosecute the criminals, while also urging the masses to cool down and settle in so the police and investigators could continue their work and provide solutions sooner to the public.
The Path Forward: A Call for Justice
The people of Kolkata are determined to see justice served for Moumita Debnath. The midnight march was not just a protest but a powerful statement of solidarity and demand for action against the violence faced by women. The city awaits the outcome of the CBI investigation with the hope that justice will be swift and decisive.
