The principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, Sandeep Ghosh, resigned on Monday as junior doctors, interns and postgraduate trainees of the facility continued their strike for the fourth day on Monday.
The protestors are demanding a magisterial inquiry into the rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman trainee doctor. They have also been demanding the resignation of Ghosh.
Dr Ghosh, who has been accused of victim blaming after the horrifying incident, has denied that he made any such remark. “Students are being provoked to ensure my removal. I want the accused to be punished. I am being defamed. I have not made such remarks,” he told the media this morning. “The girl who died was like my daughter. I am also a parent. As a parent, I am resigning,” he said.
Also Read: Kolkata doctor rape case: Accused washed his clothes after raping, killing doctor, police say
The senior doctor told the media that he is an orthopaedic surgeon and can earn his livelihood. “Everyone thought Sandip Ghosh cannot resign. I am honest. After I took over, I cracked down on corruption. I have worked for the development of the hospital and in the interest of the patients,” he added, NDTV reported.
Earlier, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had targeted Dr Ghosh and demanded his suspension. “His misleading statements and carefree attitude in the aftermath of this tragic incident expose his indifference towards the victim,” Adhikari said in a post on X.
A trainee doctor was found in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with injury marks on her body, and an autopsy later confirmed that she was raped before being murdered. The accused, a civic volunteer, was arrested on August 10 (Saturday) and has been sent to 14-day police custody.
Since the incident came to light, junior doctors, interns and postgraduate trainees of the facility have been protesting demanding justice since the past four days.
Amid the strike, patients faced inconvenience as outdoor centres of RG Kar College and Hospital remained closed. Over the past three days, junior doctors had been attending to emergency duties, but as of Monday morning, they have ceased even those responsibilities, sources told news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police’s detective department is expected to question three doctors and one housekeeping staff member working at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in connection with the rape and murder of the woman trainee doctor after 11 am.
The four people summoned were on night duty on August 9, the day when the semi-nude body of the trainee doctor was recovered, they said. Some of them had joined the victim for dinner before the incident.
The horrific incident sparked widespread outcry in West Bengal and other states, with medical students and doctors holding protests to hold those responsible accountable.
Doctors at ten government hospitals in Delhi, including Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, also went on a strike over the Kolkata trainee doctor’s rape and murder and all elective services were suspended.
The protesting doctors demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter and the security of medical practitioners in hospitals across the country.
(With inputs from PTI)