On Monday, doctors staged a protest march from Kolkata Medical College to the Police Headquarters, reacting to the Kolkata Police’s summons of two senior physicians, Dr. Kunal Sarkar and Dr. Subarna Goswami. The summons were related to their public comments on the recent rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor.
Dr. Goswami criticized the summons as “baseless” and announced that he would be accompanied by his lawyers, colleagues, and fellow doctors to the police headquarters. “They have summoned me based on unfounded allegations. My legal team, colleagues, and doctors will be with me. We’ll see what they have to say,” he stated.
The case has ignited widespread outrage and protests nationwide, prompting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance. A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case on August 20.
Protests have erupted in multiple cities, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Kolkata, demanding justice for the victim and accountability for those responsible. In Delhi, doctors from Maulana Azad Medical College and resident doctors from Northern Railway Central Hospital demonstrated outside Nirman Bhawan. In Chandigarh, PGIMER doctors joined in similar protests, while Mumbai saw demonstrations at Azad Maidan organized by doctors and locals.
The situation in Kolkata intensified on August 18 when football fans protested near Salt Lake Stadium, resulting in the cancellation of the Durand Cup match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Junior doctors and students continued their protests at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the trainee doctor’s body was discovered on August 9.
On August 14, the protest site and hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalized by a mob, prompting police intervention. To maintain order, Kolkata police have imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC), around the Medical College and Hospital from August 18 to August 24.
