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13-11-2024
Bureau Report + Agencies
NEW DELHI/ KOLKATA: A court in the eastern state of West Bengal began the trial on Monday of a police volunteer accused of raping and murdering a doctor at a government hospital in August, a case that has sparked outrage over the lack of safety for women in India.
The woman’s body was found in a classroom at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in the state capital Kolkata on Aug. 9, federal police said. They also said they had arrested a police volunteer, Sanjay Roy, for the crime.
Charges were drawn up last week, while Roy said he was “completely innocent” and was being framed, local media reported.
The legal case has reignited criticism of India’s poor record on women’s safety despite the introduction of tougher laws following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.
It also shines a light on the poor infrastructure and security at government hospitals in India, many of which lack basic facilities including CCTV cameras and security personnel.
Around 128 witnesses will be examined during the trial, court sources told Reuters, with hearings taking place on a daily basis as authorities look to fast-track the high-profile case. They will not be open to the public.
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the father of the woman doctor, the alleged victim, gave evidence on Monday.
In addition to the defendant Roy, India’s federal police said they arrested the officer in charge of the local police station and the superintendent of the hospital for allegedly tampering with evidence and financial irregularities.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met protesters last month and accepted most of their demands, doctors seeking reforms said, but they added they would track progress on her assurances and maintain pressure for change.
Earlier, junior doctors in India’s eastern city of Kolkata called off on Monday a 17-day-old hunger strike launched in protest against the rape and murder of a colleague, they said, in response to an appeal by the victim’s parents.
Protesters also met the chief minister of the opposition-led state, which has drawn scrutiny for its handling of sex crimes, to press their demand for better security and conditions at government hospitals, as well as justice for the woman.
A police volunteer was arrested for the crime, which sparked nationwide protests in August and September, after the woman’s body was found at the city’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9.
“They (the victim’s parents) expressed their worries about the fasting junior doctors’ health as well as the defunct health care services that must have affected hundreds of ordinary citizens,” said Dr Debasish Halder, a spokesman for the doctors.
Some strike participants suffered severe dehydration and had to be admitted to hospital.
The doctors said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to most of their demands when she met them on Monday.
“Our movement for justice and a healthy, secure healthcare system will continue,” Halder said, adding that the doctors would track progress on her assurances and orders for change.
Government hospitals across India lack basic amenities such as restrooms for doctors, security personnel, and closed circuit television cameras (CCTV), doctors say. India’s Supreme Court also took up the matter, but junior doctors say its efforts have not been sufficient to ensure justice.
