RG Kar Hospital: TMC pushes for new law, BJP corners Mamata govt over PGT doctor's suspected rape and murder

The BJP, on the other hand, has targeted the Mamata Banerjee government over the heinous crime and pointed to the degrading law and order situation in the state.

"You can hide the data in the National Crime Records. But the kind of incidents that are happening prove that they (women) are not in a good situation," Union Minister and state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar has said.

Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the RG Kar Hospital incident.

"Instead of addressing the issue seriously, the state government has formed an 11-member inquiry committee, which bizarrely includes some interns. It seems the government is either trying to cover up its negligence or is not taking this matter seriously," he has said.

The Left, too, has joined the bandwagon demanding a CBI probe. CPM state secretary Mohd Salim has said, "The City of Joy has turned into a City of bhoy (fear). No one is safe under this Trinamool Congress government, the whole country is condemning the gruesome incident."

The Congress, Trinamool's ally in Delhi, has joined the protests with party workers joining the doctors' protests and demanding that their representatives be included in the inquiry committee.

Trinamool's Response

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has assured that she will seek death penalty for the perpetrator. While she mostly opposes CBI investigation in cases related to Bengal, the Trinamool chief this time has said her government has no objections to a central agency probe.

The state government, she has said, has "nothing to hide".

Speaking to ABP Ananda, Banerjee said, "This was an inhuman and deplorable crime. I feel as if I have lost a family member. We can never defend such a crime. There can be no leniency for this kind of crime."

"I stand by the doctors. Their demands are completely justified... The role of the hospital authorities will also be probed and if negligence is proved, action will be taken," she added.

Meanwhile, Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has said those convicted in such cases should be given "capital punishment or encounter".

"The Centre should bring in an ordinance calling for immediate action against such culprits. This could be made into an amendment after six months," he said, assuring that the Trinamool will support such a law. He hoped that the other Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left, would have no objection either.

Banerjee said such a law would prevent prolonged trials that can last five to six years and save taxpayers' money. "These rapists, who don't deserve to live in society, should be dealt with either through encounter or by hanging," he said.

Progress in the case so far:

Earlier, one person has been detained in connection with the case even as anger and protest over the incident spread.

According to reports, the detained person is a civic volunteer with the police and had regular access to visit the hospital. He has been charged under sections relating to rape and murder. The civic volunteer, according to multiple media reports, was known for throwing his weight around and harassing women in the past. He had reportedly married five times with his first wife dying from cancer. 

A civic volunteers, usually recruited from among the ruling party cadres (read Trinamool Congress in West Bengal), is tasked to assist police for traffic management or assist during major festivals in the state and also work in places where unauthorized parking of vehicles occurs.  

The case against the accused is based on circumstantial evidence and testimonies of doctors on night duty at the time of the incident, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has said. "We arrested him due to his strong complicity in the case based on CCTV footage," said Goyal.

The accused has been produced in a local court where no lawyer agreed to represent him, said reports.

The body of the 31-year-old post-graduate student had injury marks all over, including her private parts, and was recovered under mysterious conditions.

The victim hailed from Sodepur near Kolkata and was pursuing her post-graduation in Chest Medicine. She was on duty on Thursday night.

The autopsy report states that the victim was bleeding from eyes, mouth and private parts. Injury marks were visible on the face, lips, neck, nails, stomach, right-hand ring finger, left leg and left leg ankle, media reports said.