THE horrifying incident at R G Kar Medical College Hospital on August 9 was a global first. Never before has a doctor been raped and murdered on duty at a top government hospital. This wasn't a random act; it was the inevitable outcome of a crime wave fuelled by the ruling party's corruption in the state's health sector. Rampant corruption, nepotism, and embezzlement have crippled the health department in the last thirteen years, worsening after the 2021 elections. 

After the 2021 elections, corruption ran rampant, and crime spiralled out of control. This evil circle, backed by Nabanna (the state secretariat) and the health department has infiltrated every institution: the Swasthya  Bhavan that houses the offices of the state health department, state health university, health recruitment board, and medical council. Bribes, nepotism, and illicit deals have become the norm, tainting recruitment, education, and transfers. Doctors face vengeful transfers and harassment, while patients suffer from low-quality drugs and equipment shortages. Even dead bodies were getting smuggled, and sex rackets were being operated inside health facilities. This corruption ultimately claimed the life of our sister, Abhaya, a victim of this horrifying criminal network.

The incident occurred on August 9, the same day as the former chief minister and public leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's funeral procession, which drew countless mourners in the metropolis. As the grieving people of Bengal and the media focused on his last farewell, R G Kar hospital authorities attempted to use this opportunity to conceal the incident from the public eye. Their attempt was thwarted by the doctors’ organisations and Left student-youth organisations of the state. Their collective protest forced the hospital authorities and the police to conduct a post-mortem examination and video-record it, ensuring that the truth of the rape and murder would not be hidden. Otherwise, rape and murder would not have been proven today. Although tragic, this is the brutal reality of the situation.

The Kolkata Police, in cahoots with the hospital principal and corrupt politicians, desperately tried to bury the truth. Their cover-up failed, thanks to the tireless efforts of physicians and student activists. Leaked audio and video clips have exposed the horrifying reality, fuelling public outrage and inspiring widespread protests. Women, in particular, have rallied behind the junior doctors, demanding justice for the victim. The TMC government's diverse attempts to suppress the movement have only strengthened the people's resolve, leading to even larger demonstrations. Now, the authorities are scrambling to contain the growing unrest, resorting to desperate measures to regain control.

After the High Court and the Supreme Court slammed the Kolkata Police and the state administration for their incompetent investigation, the government's response was twofold: issuing a notification restricting women's right to work at night and passing the Women and Child Protection Bill. This bill, which curbs women's night duty, sailed through the legislature without amendments, revealing a tacit admission of the government's failure to protect its citizens. In essence, it has legalised night-time crime, a move passed without protest by the opposition BJP. This   stance speaks volumes about the skewed gender perspectives of both the ruling parties at the centre and the state.

The government has been trying to cover up the crime from the get-go. According to the police report, the incident took place between 3 am and 6 am. The police claim it was a sudden crime of passion by a deranged assailant. But the government, the police, and the ruling party can't escape the responsibility of answering the questions raised by doctors' organisations and civil society:

1. How did the vice chairman of the West Bengal Medical Council, a doctor from remote North Bengal Medical College known for his close connections to the ruling party, arrive at the crime scene just two and a half hours after the body was found?
2. How did a Maldah Medical College doctor with close ties to the ruling party manage to reach the scene so quickly?
3. How did the senior resident of forensics from Burdwan Medical College arrive at the scene within a mere two and a half hours?
4. What urgent business brought the data entry operator and mobile expert from National Medical College directly to the seminar hall at 9 am?
5. How and why did the lawyer of Sandip Ghosh, the then principal of R G Kar Medical College, who is currently in CBI custody, show up by 9 am?
6. For what purpose did a doctor from SSKM, who is also one of the general secretaries of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, reach there at 9 am?

9:00 am: top police officials are yet to arrive, the victim's parents are still unaware of their daughter's fate, and the press is clueless. Yet, somehow, bigwigs from ruling-party-backed syndicates are already on the scene, scheming to bury the crime. They're huddling up, chairs pulled up next to the lifeless body, plotting to label it a suicide and hastily cremate the evidence. Their common thread – ties to principal Sandip Ghosh and the ruling party. Too many suspicious arrivals, all too coincidental! This begs the question: was this a premeditated institutional rape, a gang rape, or something even more sinister?

The cover-up raises even more questions. Why the rush to perform the autopsy in the same hospital? Why not wait till the next day? Why the haste to cremate the body under the watchful eyes of a heavy police presence and ruling party leaders? Why demolish the toilet next to the seminar hall right after the CBI investigation was ordered? And why were armed goons allowed to plan an attack on the seminar room on August 14th midnight, with the police suspiciously inactive? Who orchestrated this, and why?

The foundations of democracy in West Bengal have crumbled in the past decade, leaving the people disillusioned and distrustful. The judiciary especially the Supreme Court are seen as the last bastion of hope, but even they are now being questioned. Delays in DA case, teacher recruitment scam case, and recent suo moto case regarding R G Kar rape and murder have cast a shadow on the Supreme Court's efficacy. In contrast, cases filed by influential individuals seem to be fast-tracked. If the legal system fails to deliver swift justice, there is a possibility that West Bengal could descend into anarchy. Recognising this, doctors' organisations have appealed to the Supreme Court for a speedy, sensitive, and impartial investigation and trial of the unprecedented R G Kar Medical College Hospital incident.

For too long, the regime in Bengal has ruled through fear and intimidation. But now, the people have had enough. The fear that once paralysed us is giving way to a burning fury. We're done waiting for justice. Professionals, students, the youth, women, workers, farmers – all of us are rising up, demanding that those in power be held accountable. This movement for change has spread like wildfire, from the cities to the villages. We're all united by one common demand: justice, not just for this one horrific incident, but for thirteen long years of corruption and injustice. The time has come for us to stand together and fight for what is right.