Two years on, RG Kar rape-murder case returns to spotlight as Bengal govt orders fresh probe

The state Health and Family Welfare Department has directed all government hospitals, health centres and medical institutions under its control to observe silence from 11 am to 11:02 am on Sunday, August 9, marking the second anniversary of the killing.

The directive, issued on August 8 and signed by an additional secretary of the department, follows an announcement by Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee and comes as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) faces renewed scrutiny over its handling of the case.

The latest developments have placed the focus not only on the convicted man but also on what happened inside RG Kar before and after the doctor was found dead, including questions raised by her family about the sequence of events and the handling of the investigation.

The night that shook Bengal

The postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.

The crime triggered an unprecedented wave of protests by doctors, students and citizens in Kolkata and across India, with demonstrations also spreading internationally.

The incident rapidly became a national issue, with the safety of doctors and women at workplaces emerging as major themes of the protests.

File photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The Supreme Court also took suo motu cognisance of the case, while the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation from Kolkata Police to the CBI in August 2024.

The state government’s decision to formally mark the second anniversary with a two-minute silence is the first such statewide initiative under the new administration, according to the information released by the Health Department.

The government has also announced a separate examination of the circumstances surrounding the crime.

Bengal health dept to conduct separate probe

A day before the heinous crime's second anniversary, Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said that the state health department would independently examine the events surrounding the doctor’s death and communicate its findings to the CBI.

The inquiry will examine the sequence of events before and after the crime.

Officials are expected to question people who were present at or visited the emergency department around the time of the incident.

The department also plans to speak to teachers and professors associated with the victim.

File photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The inquiry will examine the hospital’s infrastructure and identify what gaps existed at the time, as well as what changes were made afterwards.

Mukherjee said the people who visited the site before and after the incident would be called for questioning.

The department also intends to speak to the victim’s teachers as part of the process.

The move comes after the victim’s parents repeatedly raised concerns about aspects of the original investigation and sought a more comprehensive examination of what happened.

The West Bengal government had reopened files connected with the case earlier this year.

In June, Mukherjee said the Health Department was reviewing the material after meeting the victim’s parents, who had raised concerns about alleged investigative shortcomings and possible destruction of evidence.

CBI probe faces fresh questions

The original investigation began with Kolkata Police, which arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy as the principal accused.

The case was subsequently transferred to the CBI following an order of the Calcutta High Court.

The CBI's chargesheet also named Roy as the sole accused.

He was convicted by the Sealdah court in January 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Roy has maintained his innocence and claimed that he was framed.

However, the victim’s parents have continued to question whether the investigation fully established what happened during the crucial hours surrounding the crime.

Prime accused Sanjay Roy. File photo: IBNS

In May 2026, the Calcutta High Court directed the CBI to constitute a three-member Special Investigation Team to examine allegations concerning possible suppression or mishandling of aspects of the case.

The SIT was asked to examine events beginning with the victim’s dinner on the night of August 8, 2024, through to her cremation the following day.

The CBI subsequently returned to RG Kar and began examining locations and witnesses as part of the renewed investigation.

But the Calcutta High Court has now expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the fresh probe.

Court tells CBI: ‘Forget the previous investigation’

At a hearing on August 6, the Calcutta High Court told the CBI not to allow the findings of the earlier investigation to influence its new inquiry.

“Don't get influenced by the previous investigation,” the court told the agency, stressing that the case should be examined afresh from the night of the incident through to the cremation of the victim.

A division bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh said the new team needed to examine the matter independently rather than simply building on the previous investigation.

“Forget the previous investigation. Put that aside and look at it in a new way,” Justice Sarkar told the CBI's counsel.

The bench also questioned whether statements of relevant junior doctors had been recorded and asked about the sequence of events after the victim’s mother contacted the hospital on the morning of August 9.

The CBI told the court that the allegations were being examined thoroughly and that experienced officers were working on the case, but requested more time to complete the process.

The matter is scheduled to come up again before the High Court on August 28.

Family questions events before the crime

The victim’s family has repeatedly argued that the investigation must examine what happened before her death, rather than focusing exclusively on the person eventually convicted.

According to the concerns raised before the court, the doctor had dinner with colleagues on the night of August 8.

Her family has sought the questioning and, where warranted, arrest of four junior doctors who were allegedly present during the dinner and whom the family says had links with former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh.

File photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The family’s lawyer specifically questioned whether the statement of a junior doctor named Saumitra Roy had been recorded and whether investigators had adequately examined the circumstances leading up to the crime.

“Was what happened before the incident brought under the scope of the investigation?” the lawyer asked, according to the submissions cited in the Bengali report.

The lawyer also questioned why the alleged links between those present at dinner and the then-principal had not been fully examined.

The High Court has similarly sought clarity on whether statements from junior doctors were recorded and whether the investigation had adequately established the timeline surrounding the incident.

A case that changed the streets of Kolkata

The RG Kar case quickly developed into one of the largest public protests over violence against women and doctors in recent years.

Doctors across West Bengal and other parts of India joined demonstrations, work stoppages and rallies.

The protests also brought thousands of ordinary citizens onto Kolkata’s streets, cutting across political and social divisions.

File photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The movement included night-long demonstrations, candlelight gatherings, hunger strikes and marches.

A series of protests later turned increasingly political, including the Nabanna Abhiyan in August 2024, which led to clashes between protesters and police.

The Supreme Court's intervention and the subsequent transfer of the investigation to the CBI reflected the wider national significance of the case.

Two years later, probe reopens another chapter

The legal position has changed significantly since August 2024.

Sanjay Roy has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, while the CBI has sought a harsher sentence and Roy has challenged the conviction.

Yet the wider investigation has entered another phase following the Calcutta High Court’s directions for a fresh examination of allegations surrounding the handling of the case.

File photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The West Bengal Health Department’s decision to conduct its own inquiry adds another layer to that process.

Its officials will examine the hospital’s functioning, speak to people connected with the incident and assess alleged gaps in the institution’s infrastructure and response.

On the second anniversary of the incident and the first anniversary after the BJP government came to power in Bengal, state-run hospitals across West Bengal will observe two minutes of silence in memory of the doctor, while the CBI’s renewed investigation remains under judicial scrutiny.