Demonstration by doctors and paramedics after the rape and murder of an intern, August 9, in Calcutta (India) on August 16, 2024 in New Delhi. MANISH SWARUP / AP
Fourteen days after the rape and murder of a doctor in a Calcutta public hospital, emotions are still running high in India. The capital of West Bengal is the scene of daily demonstrations by doctors, and also by people from all walks of life who have come to cry out their indignation at this heinous crime. The body of the 31-year-old intern, called Abhaya (“the intrepid”) to avoid revealing her identity – the law forbids it – was found horribly mutilated on August 9 in a meeting room where she, in the absence of adequate rest facilities, had gone to sleep after a 36-hour shift. The murderer is believed to be a local police volunteer responsible for guiding patients, but the investigation is continuing to establish who was responsible within the hospital.
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On Thursday, August 22, the Supreme Court, which is playing a central role in solving the case and forcing public authorities to ensure safety in hospitals, heard the representative of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has been in charge of investigations since the Calcutta police were relieved of their duties having been deemed too ineffective. His edifying testimony has revealed a series of anomalies, inconsistencies and shortcomings on the part of the hospital’s management and the police, in an attempt to conceal the rape and murder and disguise it as a suicide. “Our investigation is a challenge in itself, as the crime scene has been altered,” the CBI lawyer said.
He pointed to the enormous delay in getting the search underway. Fourteen hours had elapsed between the discovery of the body and the lodging of a complaint with the police. “What happened in all that time?” asked Supreme Court president Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud. In the meantime, the body was cremated as soon as the autopsy had been completed. Sacked shortly after the murder, the director has continued to be questioned by investigators, but such is the level of mistrust that on Thursday, the CBI obtained judicial authorization to subject him and four other doctors to a lie detector test.
The Supreme Court also highlighted the failings of West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is responsible for the police. She has been criticized on all sides for her handling of the case and the state of the hospital.
Pitiful state of infrastructure
“The situation for doctors in public hospitals in this country is appalling, but it’s pathetic in West Bengal,” said Shouradipta Chandra, a doctor in New Delhi who practiced in Calcutta for 16 years. “No security, no place to rest for doctors working 72 hours at a stretch, inhuman working conditions. A corrupt system from top to bottom. The situation is still the same. Year after year, our cries are in vain.”
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