Sarah Bensetiti

Secretary

**Disclaimer:** This article contains graphic content related to sexual assault, workplace violence, and self-harm.

On August 9, 2024, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, India, became the grim locus of an appalling tragedy. Students discovered the lifeless body of a 31-year-old postgraduate student in a third-floor lecture hall, creating a scene of unspeakable horror. The deceased was found partially unclothed, with her legs grotesquely contorted backward, and blood profusely seeping from her orifices, eyes, and mouth. Notwithstanding the evident brutality, the hospital administration and local authorities promptly classified the incident as a suicide, attributing the death to an alleged psychotic episode. This conclusion emerged despite overwhelming and unambiguous evidence of foul play, corroborated by forensic experts. How could the authorities so precipitously leap to this conclusion and dismiss the evident signs of violence?

According to reports from the Times of India, the victim had been engaged in an arduous 36-hour on-call shift immediately preceding her death. At approximately 2 AM, the victim took a break to dine with fellow junior colleagues. By 3 AM, she sought a place to rest. The absence of designated rest areas or dormitories at RG Kar Medical College necessitated the victim to utilise the third floor unoccupied lecture hall – a decision that tragically came to be her last.

The subsequent morning, at around 9:30 AM, the victim’s body was discovered by students, and the assistant superintendent promptly informed her family, attributing the incident to suicide. It was not until 10 AM that law enforcement arrived to commence an investigation.

The postmortem report, as detailed by ABC News, indicated that the cause of death was asphyxiation resulting from smothering and throttling. Her nose and mouth had been forcibly obstructed and the strangulation was so severe that it fractured her thyroid cartilage. Furthermore, the assailant had inflicted a savage blow to her head against a wall with such force that her eyeglasses shattered, causing the fragments to penetrate her eyeballs. Her genitals were mutilated with hair clips, accentuating the grotesque nature of the attack.

But who could possibly be behind such a heinous crime? Police discovered a Bluetooth pair of headphones lying near the victim’s body, which was traced to an individual named Sanjay Roy. Surveillance footage revealed Roy entering and exiting the hospital between 4 AM and 4:40 AM and blood found under the victim’s fingernails was identified as his. This evidence ultimately culminated in his arrest. At last, there was a semblance of justice for the victim.

However, even if one might expect that the case would reach a swift resolution with Roy’s apprehension, his arrest proved to be merely the beginning of a complex investigation. Indeed, according to The Hindu, the postmortem report revealed a staggering 150 grams of semen extracted from the victim’s body. Given that the average volume of semen per ejaculation is approximately 5 grams, this suggests the involvement of multiple perpetrators. Further, the extent of the inflicted injuries necessitates considerable physical strength, underscoring the probability of a collective assault. Roy’s arrest, while significant, is seen as an overly limited resolution to an extraordinarily complex case, a sentiment echoed by netizens.

Yet, despite the compelling evidence linking the crime to at least eight assailants, significant deficiencies persist in the police’s efforts to identify and apprehend additional perpetrators. This shortfall has sparked widespread allegations of systemic corruption, with public discourse increasingly suggesting that the investigation may be compromised. Indeed, there is a growing belief that the entire incident was meticulously staged, as evidenced by the strategic relocation of patients who were staying near the third-floor lecture hall…

Adding to the suspicions, BBC News reports that several doctors were hastily moved abroad shortly after the discovery of the victim’s body. This swift exodus has fueled allegations that some of the perpetrators may hold high-profile positions with connections to influential political figures, which would explain why the police are pretending Roy is the only assailant. These revelations have led netizens to suspect that the true extent of the crime involves far more than a straightforward case of violence, hinting at a deeply entrenched conspiracy that demands thorough scrutiny.

These revelations have led netizens to suspect that the true extent of the crime involves far more than a straightforward case of violence, hinting at a deeply entrenched conspiracy that demands thorough scrutiny.

In response to escalating public outcry and fears of a cover-up, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intervened. The scandal has galvanised a substantial response from the medical community, with hundreds of doctors protesting on the streets, holding placards that read “No Justice, No Duty”. Despite over 20 arrests, the investigation remains ongoing and unresolved.

The most disconcerting aspect of this horrific incident is not solely the brutal violence inflicted but the disturbing possibility that it was premeditated and subsequently covered up by the very entities entrusted with safeguarding the hospital staff. The tragic irony lies in the fact that the women who devote their lives to saving others were rendered unsafe even during brief periods of repose amidst their gruelling shifts. This egregious breach of trust underscores the urgent question: Can we ever trust the systems meant to protect us?