Suvendu Adhikari Announces Fresh Probe into RG Kar Doctor’s Rape-Murder, Cites Police Failure

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a fresh investigation into the 2024 rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, asserting that the police had failed to discharge their duty in the case.

The announcement comes as the state marks two years since the incident. The West Bengal Health and Family Welfare Department has directed all establishments under its control to observe two minutes of silence from 11:00 am to 11:02 am on August 9 in memory of the victim, referred to as “Abhaya.”

A departmental notice issued on August 8 stated: “I am directed to request all the establishments under the control of Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal shall observe 2 (two) minutes’ silence in memory of ‘Abhaya’, from 11.00 AM till 11.02 AM on 09/08/2026.”

The case dates to August 9, 2024, when the body of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was discovered inside a seminar room on the hospital campus. The killing sparked nationwide protests by doctors, medical students and civil society groups demanding a transparent probe and stronger safety measures for healthcare workers. The victim became widely known as “Abhaya” during the agitation and subsequent legal proceedings.

In 2025, students and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders organised the ‘Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan’ protest march seeking justice for the victim.

On May 21, the Calcutta High Court ordered an investigation into alleged destruction of evidence and directed authorities to revisit concerns raised by the victim’s family. In an order issued on Sunday, a bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team led by the Joint Director (Eastern Zone) of the CBI to conduct the probe.

The court directed the CBI to re-examine the sequence of events from the time dinner was taken on the night of the incident until the cremation the following day. The agency has been authorised to interrogate any person it considers necessary.

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