Kolkata rape-murder case timeline: Amid nationwide calls for justice for a 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and killed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, ex-principal of the college, Sandip Ghosh, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 2.

The probe in the case is being carried out by the CBI after it was handed over by the Kolkata Police while the Supreme Court has also taken a suo motu cognizance in the matter seeking status report from the state government as well as CBI.

The post-mortem report, probe and startling revelations about the heinous crime have sent shockwaves across the country. The medical fraternity and the public have been demanding answers from the government in light of this incident. Several associations of doctors launched nationwide strikes, impairing the hospitals. However, the strikes were were called off after the Supreme Court urged the doctors to return to work. Political parties have also called for bandhs and organised rallies Bengal over the issue.

Also Read: Nabanna rally: Protestors pelt stones, break barricades; police resort to tear gas, water cannons

Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Timeline of events so far

  • August 9, 2024: 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College Hospital was raped and murdered. She was found dead with injuries on her face inside the seminar hall of the hospital.
  • August 10, 2024: Kolkata Police arrested accused Sanjay Roy in connection with the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The autopsy report confirmed murder following sexual assault. Protests by doctors break out across West Bengal, demanding immediate action.
  • August 11, 2024: Bengal government transferred the Superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata over alleged lapses leading to the rape and murder of a woman postgraduate trainee doctor inside hospital premises, ANI reported.
  • August 12, 2024: Principal of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, stepped down from his post following demands of his resignation. The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) announces a nationwide halt to elective services as a mark of protest.
  • August 13, 2024: Protests intensified as doctors nationwide united to demand action. The Calcutta High Court described the rape and murder of the doctor as “extremely gruesome” and ordered the former principal of RG Kar Hospital to take an extended leave, who was posted on the same post in another college 24 hours after he stepped down. Hospital services across the country were disrupted due to the protests by doctors. The court also asked the CBI to take over the probe.
  • August 14, 2024: Kolkata Police handed over the probe to the CBI. The probe agency took the accused in custody and began the investigation.
  • August 15, 2024: A large group of unidentified men stormed into RG Kar Medical College and obstructed the peaceful overnight protest by doctors in solidarity with the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case. They vandalised the emergency station and nursing station. In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide 24-hour withdrawal of services on August 17 to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, as well as the “hooliganism unleashed on the protesting doctors on the eve of Independence Day.”
  • August 16, 2024: At least 19 people were arrested for vandalism at RG Kar Hospital. Kin of the victim alleged the involvement of several interns and physicians of RG Kar Hospital.
  • August 17, 2024: The Indian Medical Association sought the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter and called for a one-day nationwide strike of doctors. The National Commission for Women (NCW) alleged that the site at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered underwent sudden renovations. Lapses in security and potentially leading to tampering with evidence were also claimed. Lapses in security were also reported by the NCW.
  • August 18, 2024: Nationwide protests demanding capital punishment for the accused grew. Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident and posted the matter for hearing on August 20.
  • August 19, 2024: CBI grilled ex-RG Kar Hospital Principal, Sandip Ghosh, for the fourth consecutive day. A local court granted CBI permission to conduct a polygraph test on the accused.
  • August 20, 2024: The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and asked the state government and Kolkata Police to submit a status report.
  • August 21, 2024: Kolkata police suspended three officers over vandalism at RG Kar Hospital. The Union government asked the CISF to take over security at RG Kar Hospital.
  • August 22, 2024: The Supreme Court reprimanded Kolkata Police for delay in taking action in the case. “How was it that the post-mortem was conducted at 6.10 pm on August 9, and yet the unnatural death information was sent to Tala police station at 11.30 pm on August 9? This is extremely disturbing,” the SC bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said on Thursday. The court asked the Assistant Superintendent of Police to be present in the next hearing and urged the protesting doctors to return to work. Following the Supreme Court’s request, the doctors called off the strike and returned to work.
  • August 25, 2024: The CBI sought permission from the court to put seven persons including the accused Roy and former principal of the medical college Sandip Ghosh through the lie detector or polygraph test. After getting permission, a polygraph test was conducted on Sanjay Roy.
  • August 26, 2024: ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ march was called by Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj, to be carried out on August 27, seeking Mamata Banerjee’s resignation.
  • August 27, 2024: The protest march to Nabanna, West Bengal secretariat in Howrah, was carried out. It turned ugly as protestors broke barricades and pelted stones at the police personnel deployed in the city. Cops in turn fired tear gas and resorted to water cannons and lathi charge to disperse the crowd.
  • August 28, 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party called for a Bengal bandh after clashes between protesters and Kolkata Police during a ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally on August 27. As protestors overturned barricades, police personnel resorted to lathi charges, using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Meanwhile, in her first reaction, President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep shock and horror at the rape and murder of the doctor, highlighting that this incident is part of a broader series of crimes against women.
  • August 29, 2024: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted polygraph tests on two private security guards from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The tests were administered after the guards were presented before a Kolkata court, which granted permission for the procedure. With these tests, the total number of individuals subjected to polygraph examinations in connection with the case stood at 10.
  • August 30, 2024: Mamata Banerjee wrote another letter to PM Modi reiterating her request for stringent central legislation and exemplary punishment on heinous crimes like rape and murder and said that “no reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue”.
  • September 1, 2024: Renowned film director Aparna Sen and several other notable figures from the Bengali film industry joined thousands of protesters in a massive rally on Sunday, calling for justice for the trainee doctor. One rally was carried out by alumni of Ramakrishna Mission-run educational institutions, while another was brought together by students and past pupils from a renowned convent school.
  • September 2, 2024: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in connection with alleged financial misconduct at the institution, officials reported. Ghosh had been under scrutiny for 15 days at the CBI’s Salt Lake office regarding the alleged rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee on August 9. Complaints of financial irregularities during Ghosh’s tenure were lodged by the hospital’s former deputy superintendent, Dr. Akhtar Ali.
  • September 3, 2024: The former principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, along with three others, was sent to 8-day police custody following an order by the Alipore Judges Court in Kolkata. The next hearing is scheduled for September 10. In addition, West Bengal government tabled the anti-rape Bill on Tuesday during a two-day special session of the Bengal Assembly and passed it.
  • September 4, 2024: Even as the IMA president called on doctors to resume patient care, urging them to trust the Supreme Court of India to handle the ongoing case, junior doctors at state-run hospitals in West Bengal continued their “cease work” for the third straight week in protest of the rape and murder of a trainee medic at RG Kar Hospital.
  • September 5, 2024: As a mark of protest against the rape-murder of a young doctor at the RG Kar Medical College, most of Kolkata went dark and people carried out a candle march. In a unique display of solidarity, sharp at 9 pm, prominent landmarks of the city, like the Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan, turned off lights.
  • September 7, 2024: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose referred the anti-rape bill passed by the assembly to President Droupadi Murmu for consideration. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant submitted the technical report of the bill to Bose earlier in the day. After reviewing it, the governor decided to send the bill to Murmu.
  • September 8, 2024: Thousands of members of the Indian community protested in more than 130 cities across 25 countries on Sunday to demand justice after last month’s rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a hospital in the city of Kolkata.
  • September 9, 2024: During its third hearing, the Supreme Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a fresh status report into the investigation into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital and posted the matter for next hearing on September 17.
  • September 10, 2024: Junior doctors in West Bengal announced they will carry on with their ‘cease work’ in view of calling for justice for the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital trainee. The defiant decision came despite the Supreme Court’s order mandating that they resume their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday, September 10.
  • September 11, 2024: Protesting junior doctors expressed their willingness to engage in talks with the state government, but on their terms. Demanded a delegation of 25-35 members, rather than the 10 proposed by the government, and sought an official invitation through proper channels.
  • September 12, 2024: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at the residences and offices of individuals connected to Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Hospital who was arrested in relation to alleged financial irregularities at the medical facility. Meanwhile, amid stand-off, Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (September 12) offered to resign “for the sake of the people” and expressed her desire for justice for the doctor murdered at RG Kar Hospital.
  • September 13, 2024: Amid doctor-state government standoff, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose said he would not share any public platform with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in view of people’s outcry over the RG Kar hospital impasse. In a video message, Bose also said he would also socially boycott the chief minister.
  • September 14, 2024: Protesting doctors in West Bengal appealed to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking their intervention in the ongoing impasse. They sent a four-page letter, with copies also addressed to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee visited the site outside Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, where junior doctors have been protesting for the fourth consecutive night. Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal was arrested by the central agency for alleged delay in FIR registration and missing evidence in the case.
  • September 15, 2024: The BJP labeled West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s surprise visit to the junior doctors’ protest site as nothing more than a “photo-op,” accusing her of using the occasion to sow “seeds of suspicion” within the medical fraternity.
  • September 16, 2024: The first round of talks between the West Bengal government and the agitating junior doctors took place at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat to address the RG Kar impasse, after four unsuccessful bids. After the meeting, Banerjee announced the removal of two top health officials and Kolkata Police Commissioner IPS Vineet Kumar Goyal.
  • September 17, 2024: A day after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met protesting junior doctors in Kolkata, the state government appointed Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner. Verma succeeds Vineet Kumar Goyal, who has been reassigned as ADG and IGP of the Special Task Force in West Bengal.
  • September 19, 2024: Junior doctors, who were on a ‘cease work’ strike for 41 days, announced they will “partially” resume duties in emergency and essential services at state-run hospitals starting on Saturday, following the West Bengal government’s acceptance of most of their demands.