RG Kar rape and murder: Mamata Banerjee leads protest march in Kolkata, blames BJP-CPI-M for hospital vandalisation

Several TMC women leaders, including Satabdi Roy and June Maliah, accompanied her in the rally when they demanded capital punishment for the accused.

Extending support to the women protesters who marched across West Bengal on Wednesday night as a part of the 'Reclaim the Night' demonstration, Banerjee said: "I salute the women for their protest.They did the right thing."

She blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party Of India (Marxist) for the attack on RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the same night when the women took out protest demonstrations across West Bengal.

She claimed they tried to damage evidence during the attack on the medical facility. It is the same hospital where the doctor was raped and murdered.

"The CPIM and BJP vandalised in RG Kar. They went there to damage evidence. They damaged the hospital and even broke the CCTVs and other crucial elements there," she said.

"Hospital is not a place for vandalism," she said.

"I salute the protest by women of Kolkata. They did the right task," she said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party members demonstrated against the rape and murder of the doctor in Kolkata and demanded CM Banerjee's resignation.

"We will continue our protest across the state," BJP West Bengal posted on X.

The Central Bureau of Investigation officials on Friday took former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh to CGO complex in Salt Lake for questioning in the PG trainee doctor's rape and murder case. He was picked up from the street after he failed to respond to summons.

The CBI had sent him notice to appear before it. However, Ghosh did not appear before the agency.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered controversial RG Kar principal Dr. Sandip Ghosh, who was appointed as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College within hours of his resignation as the head of RG Kar Medical College, to go on a long leave, coming down heavily on the role of the state government in trying to protect him.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday snubbed the Chief Minister's deadline and handed over the case to the CBI, which will probe into the matter under the monitoring of the judiciary.

The accused civic volunteer was on Wednesday handed over to the CBI by police.

Meanwhile,the Calcutta High Court on Friday questioned the West Bengal government over it urgency to carry out a renovation work near the crime scene at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where a 31-year-old lady trainee doctor was raped and murdered last week.

A High Court bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya has asked the state to respond to the allegations that the renovation work was conducted to erase all evidence from the crime scene.

In response, the state counsel said the allegations are incorrect as the demolition work was not conducted near the place of occurrence.

The court questioned the timing when the state counsel said the renovation work was conducted for a restroom of doctors.

The court asked the state counsel, "What was the urgency? ...You go to any district court complex, see if ladies have any restrooms! I say this with responsibility. What has the PWD done? ... We'll shift patients to other hospital, close the (RG Kar) hospital. That will be the best. All the stories - 'within 12 hours rest room have to be provided' - see the condition of the restrooms in the court complexes!"

What happened in RG Kar?

The trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which is located in North Kolkata's Belgachia area.

She was found in a half naked state with multiple injuries in the whole body from neck and eyes to private parts. The parents were initially told by the hospital that their daughter committed suicide.

One person, a civic volunteer, has been arrested in connection with the case but protesting students suspect more people are involved in the crime.