Doctor's rape-murder: Cease work on, Mamata vows CBI probe if police fail to crack case by Sunday
Kolkata, Aug 12: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to transfer the alleged rape and murder case of a woman physician inside a Kolata hospital to the CBI if the police failed to solve it by Sunday, amid public outrage.
Supporting the cease work by junior doctors at that hospital, interns and postgraduate trainees at other state-run medical establishments across the state vowed to continue their agitation, now in its fourth day, until the culprits are brought to justice.
Banerjee’s promise, however, did not placate the protesting students, who criticized the chief minister for setting a seven-day deadline to address the alleged rape and murder of a fellow doctor.
They demanded a judicial inquiry, capital punishment for the culprits, adequate compensation for the victim's family and stronger security measures at hospitals.
A two-member team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) this afternoon arrived in Kolkata and met officers of the Kolkata police and the family members of the victim.
The body of the woman post-graduate trainee, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was found on Friday morning. Junior doctors began a cease work from the evening that day.
A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the case.
At least three Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were also filed before the Calcutta High Court, demanding that the investigation be transferred to the CBI.
A division bench, presided over by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, will hear these PILs on Tuesday.
Visiting the residence of the deceased doctor, the chief minister vowed to seek the death penalty for those responsible for the crime.
Banerjee said the family members of the deceased doctor suspect that an insider was involved.
"I want the police to arrest the culprits as soon as possible. If they are unable to crack the case by Sunday, we will hand it over to the CBI. I don’t have an issue with the central agency taking over, but its success rate is low," Banerjee said.
The chief minister pointed out several high-profile cases that the CBI has failed to solve, expressing scepticism about the agency's effectiveness.
She also emphasized the need for the case to be tried in a fast-track court.
City Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, who accompanied Banerjee to the victim’s residence, assured the public that the investigation was proceeding with all due urgency.
"We are certain that if there are other culprits, they will be arrested within the next four to five days," he said.
The Kolkata police on Monday summoned seven doctors for questioning and five others, who were known to the arrested civic volunteer.
Among those summoned is one assistant professor who was the first person to call up several people to inform them about the death of the doctor.
Police claimed that during the investigation, it was revealed that the accused was addicted to "hardcore pornography."
The arrested man, who began working as a civic volunteer in 2019, had been married at least four times and was known to be a "womaniser", police officers said.
The incident has sparked widespread protests, with junior doctors and healthcare workers expressing deep concern over their safety and the handling of the case by the authorities.
Facing backlash for the perceived failure to ensure the safety of the hospital’s staff, the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, resigned from his post and government service on Monday.
"I cannot take this insult anymore. All the allegations raised against me are false and fabricated. A student movement has been incited to remove me. There is a political mind behind this," Ghosh said in his resignation letter.
His departure follows the earlier removal of the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal Sanjay Vashisth.
Across West Bengal, hospital services have been disrupted as junior doctors continued their cease work, refusing to resume duties until their demands for a thorough investigation and greater security measures are met.
The protestors also demanded an apology from Kolkata Police for allegedly spreading rumours about the investigation and sought the removal of all senior hospital officials, insisting they should not be reassigned elsewhere.
Initially, the police had suspected the death was a suicide but later revised their stance.
The junior doctors, later in the evening, hit the streets raising slogans: “No Safety, No Duty”.
The protesting doctors also demanded that the post-mortem examination report of the victim and the CCTV footage near the seminar hall be made public.
While senior doctors have been called back from leave to handle the influx of patients, the situation remains tense, with outpatient departments struggling to address the situation.
Support for the striking doctors has poured in from across the country.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association of India (FORDA) has endorsed the strike and called for a nationwide halt to elective services.
A group of intellectuals took out a rally in the city, demanding the strictest punishment against the culprits.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
