Overview: What Happened at RG Kar – A Case That Shook the Nation
On the night of August 8–9, 2024, a tragedy unfolded in the locked seminar room inside the emergency building of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A 31-year-old postgraduate trainee (PGT), a junior doctor, was raped and brutally murdered, setting off a wave of national outrage, protests, and a demand for justice.
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2. The Arrest and Conviction of Sanjay Roy
A 33-year-old civic volunteer, Sanjay (also qqspelled Sanjoy) Roy, was arrested by the Kolkata Police the day after the crime. The case was soon transferred to the CBI, which filed a chargesheet against him and claimed he acted alone. In January 2025, Roy was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, the victim’s family and the medical fraternity strongly believe that multiple individuals were involved — citing forensic inconsistencies, ignored evidence, and the possibility of a wider conspiracy.
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3. Calls for Capital Punishment vs. Life Sentence
The CBI petitioned both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court seeking the death penalty for Roy. Yet, a sessions court opted for life imprisonment, reasoning that while the crime was heinous, it did not meet the "rarest of rare" criteria for capital punishment. The defense noted Roy's lack of prior record and possibility for rehabilitation.
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4. Alleged Cover-ups and Parallel Cases
Simultaneously, former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh and ex-Tala Police Station OC Abhijit Mondal are under probe on serious charges:
Ghosh is accused of delaying the FIR, mishandling evidence, and involvement in a medical-supply syndicate and corruption.
Mondal is alleged to have tampered with evidence.
Both were arrested by the CBI in September 2024, though later released on bail due to lack of a chargesheet within 90 days.
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5. Forensic Questions and Family’s Persistence
Several disturbing forensic contradictions remain unresolved:
DNA reports reportedly suggest the presence of a third person, contrary to the CBI’s claim of sample contamination.
CFSL (forensic lab) found no evidence of struggle on-site, despite marks on Roy's body consistent with a physical altercation.
Meanwhile, no supplementary charges have been filed, keeping the family's hope for fuller accountability alive.
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6. Campus Aftermath: Trauma, Protests, and Safety Gaps
Even a year later, the RG Kar campus remains haunted:
The seminar room remains sealed, and the emergency ward is gutted and vandalized.
Enhanced security — including CCTV cameras and CISF deployment — has been instituted, but key infrastructural upgrades remain unfulfilled, particularly in surveillance and women's safety during night duty.
Junior doctors continue the nightly candle vigils at the protest site — a mute testimony to healing still pending.
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7. A Family's Fight for Justice Amid Political Turmoil
The victim’s parents remain vocal and determined:
They accuse the CBI and state government of inaction and have traveled to New Delhi multiple times, including to meet the CBI director — yet remain unconvinced.
On the case’s first anniversary (August 9, 2025), during the “Nabanna Chalo” protest march, they were allegedly beaten by police, resulting in injuries including broken bangles and head trauma. At least 100 participants were reportedly injured in one of several police lathicharges.
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8. Judicial Developments: Legal Representation and Appeal
Complications emerged in legal representation:
Senior Advocate Vrinda Grover, who had been representing the family pro bono since September 2024, withdrew from the case citing “intervening factors”. This development adds to the family's legal uncertainties.
Roy has filed an appeal for acquittal, while sentencing and capital punishment pleas remain under review, with hearings slated for September 2025.
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9. Why This Case Still Matters — National Significance
The RG Kar case is emblematic of systemic failures related to:
Gendered violence on institutional campuses.
Transparency and accountability in forensic and police investigations.
Political interference and mass protests influencing judicial outcomes.
The case continues to symbolize India’s broader struggle with justice for women and institutional reform.
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10. Conclusion: A Wounded Campus, A Fractured Justice System, A Family Unbowed
Nearly a year on, the RG Kar rape-murder case remains a raw and unresolved wound. One man convicted, but many questions unanswered. Campus scars remain visible, and the victim’s family continues a relentless pursuit of truth and justice amid systemic inertia.
Only through perseverance, public pressure, and faith in the judiciary does their fight continue — in memory of a life so unjustly cut short.
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