The Kolkata police said they have again summoned for questioning four junior doctors who had dinner with the victim on the day of the murder.
This comes as the investigating officials asked HoD, assistant superintendent, male-female nurses, group-D staff and security members of the hospital to appear at Kolkata police headquarters in Lalbazar on Tuesday. There were reports earlier that the assistant superintendent was under the radar as he had called the victim’s parents to inform them their daughter had "died of suicide."
The body of a woman doctor was found in a seminar hall at the hospital on Friday morning, and a civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the crime.
Meanwhile, a medical intern who was said to be "missing" after the incident has broken his silence to claim that all reports regarding his disappearance were false. The student took to Facebook to state that he was under severe mental distress. "I want to clarify that I have been staying in the hostel since the day of the incident and been cooperating in the investigation with the police. I am already under severe mental distress, and I request you to stop circulating this fake news," the intern posted on Facebook.
Strike hits operations
The strike called by junior doctors across West Bengal continued to hit the operations of government hospitals in the state. Long queues were visible at out-patient departments (OPDs) of all government hospitals since early Tuesday morning.
#WATCH | West Bengal: Visuals from OPD (Outpatient Department) at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata as patients arrive for medical and health services.
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2024
FAIMA (Federation of All India Medical Association) calls for a nationwide shutdown of OPD services from today,… pic.twitter.com/fQfX7k4aVz
#WATCH | Sheikh Shahzad says, "We have not been told anything so far. I asked the security guard here but he said that he is unable to tell us anything...We are standing here for 2 hours now. We have no information. The administration is not telling us anything. We are being… pic.twitter.com/e4V3vU13qA
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2024
The junior doctors, who have been pressing for a magisterial probe into the killing of the woman doctor, on Tuesday set a deadline of August 14 for the Kolkata Police to complete their investigation. "The ceasework and protest will continue till our demands are met. We have been very clear about our demands. We want a judicial probe into the incident," a protesting junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital told PTI. "Why do they need a deadline till Sunday? We are asking the police to complete their investigation by Wednesday," he added.
In view of the situation, the state government had urged all senior doctors to replace the junior doctors. An official of state-run SSKM Hospital said that the hospital was coping with the pressure with the aid of senior doctors. However, patients were seen complaining that many surgeries were being rescheduled.
