Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, informed the Supreme Court that 23 people have died due to a doctors’ strike following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College in August. Sibal presented a state health department report detailing the deaths.
The strike, which has seen junior doctors nationwide demand justice, began after the doctor’s body was discovered on August 9. The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Despite this, progress has been slow, with only one arrest so far—Sanjay Roy. CBI officials disclosed that critical evidence went missing from the crime scene, complicating the investigation. Notably, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, ordered the demolition of a restroom and toilet near the seminar room just one day after the body was found.
In Monday’s hearing, the solicitor general, representing the Centre, expressed concern over the West Bengal government’s failure to provide adequate support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for securing the hospital. The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, reviewed the status report submitted in a sealed cover, while the Centre urged the court to address the TMC government’s alleged non-cooperation with central agencies.
