RG Kar issue: Day-long protests in Kolkata today on bail to Ghosh, Mondal

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): On Saturday Kolkata is all set to witness a resurrection of protests, as the medical fraternity and common people are fuming over the granting of “default bail” to two persons accused of evidence tampering in the case related to the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital. The bail was granted because of the failure of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file the charge sheet against the two accused within 90 days from the date of arrest.

On Friday a special court in Kolkata granted “default bail” to the former principal of R.G. Kar, Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal. Both have been accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence. Fuming over the development reportedly because of the failure of the central agency to file the charge sheet in time, West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) has announced day-long protests on Saturday primarily targeting the CBI over the development.

At 2 P.M. on Saturday, the WBJDF will organise a protest rally to the office of the CBI’s special crime unit at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex demanding that the central agency takes the moral responsibility for its failure in the matter. Parallel protest rallies by two other organisations related to the medical fraternity, namely Medical Service Centre and Nurse’s Unit are also scheduled on Saturday. At the same time ‘Abhaya Manch’, a joint platform of common people from different walks of life, will be organising a protest demonstration at Rani Rashmoni Road in central Kolkata on Saturday afternoon.

The WBJDF will send their representatives there. All these medical fraternity bodies have given an open call to common people to join those rallies in large numbers. Meanwhile, WBJDF representatives have already claimed that in due course they might again resume their “ceasework protests” which they withdrew a couple of months back keeping the larger public interest in mind. “A number of influential people are associated with the R.G. Kar tragedy. Our question is whether justice can be achieved even if the involvement of influential people is there,” said a WBJDF representative.