Bhumika Saha, Cyber Forensics|Prompt Wizard|
The rape and murder of Dr. Moumita Debnath, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, has sent shockwaves across the nation. This heinous crime, which took place on August 9 within the supposed safety of a medical institution, has led to widespread outrage, protests, and a series of investigations. Here's what happened on the day of the incident.
Timeline:
Kolkata Police began its investigation in which initially the police and college authority maintained that it was a suicide case.
On August 9:
➔ 9.30 am: Reporting the occurrence as a suicide, the assistant superintendent phones the victim's parents.
➔ 10.10 am: A notification is sent to the R.G. Kar police outpost's inspector-in-charge.
➔ 10.30 am: CP, DCP, JCP, and additional CP get an alert from Tala police station.
➔ 11.30 am: Additional CP-level police officers show up on the spot.
➔ 1.00 PM: A forensic team arrives to inspect the crime site, the lecture room, as the victim's parents arrive.
The parents assert that they are originally refused entry.1.10 p.m.:
The seminar room is opened to the parents. The body is identified by the students in half naked situation.
➔ 3.55 p.m.: The father of the victim asks a judicial magistrate to hold an inquest.
➔ 4.20 p.m.: The woman's mother signs the inquest report when the judicial magistrate arrives and performs a videotaped inquest.
➔ The body is removed for a postmortem around 5:30 p.m.
➔ Between 6.10 and 7.10 p.m., the postmortem is finished.
What did the Post-Mortem Report Say?
➔ According to the report, the death was caused by smothering and throttling. However, there were several indications of struggle and injuries on the body, including Blood stains on the face, eyes, and forehead; Scratches on different body parts; Broken collar bone; and Injuries to the lips, abdomen, right hand, and fingers.
➔ The victim's face has bruises and aberrations from the eyes down to the neck. The woman appears to have made a valiant attempt to defend herself, based on the scratches on her face that were probably produced by the accused's fingernails. According to the report, the accused "got a certain advantage as the victim was in deep sleep at the time of the attack." In addition to deep mark injuries and scratches on the accused's hands, she had attempted to resist. However, the report said that, contrary to what had been previously reported during the first phase of surveillance, there had not been any fractures or breaks of the pelvis or collar bone.
➔ Additionally, a 151-gram "white thick viscid liquid present in the endocervical canal" was mentioned in the report; however, the nature of the liquid was not stated.
➔ The forensic medicine professor that TOI spoke with stated that the 151 grams mentioned in the report is the weight of the uterus, not the fluids. The report also found evidence of "forceful penetration/insertion," indicating rape, and mentions that the death was caused by the effects of manual strangulation, associated with smothering. Unfounded rumours that "150 grams of semen" had been discovered were circulating, which may be related to gang rape.
➔ The expert explained that DNA mapping and a scientific interpretation of the report would be necessary to determine the number of men who sexually assaulted her, as postmortems do not specify the number of perpetrators. The report states that the body was clothed in a half-shirt, with no lower garment.
➔ She had twenty-five injuries total, sixteen of which were external: lacerations in her scalp, vagina, and lower abdomen; bite and scratch marks on her left cheek that reached her neck; and bruise marks on her forehead, nose bridge, cheeks, right side of her temple, right jaw, left wrist joint, breasts, left lower leg and ankle, and right knee.
➔ The lower lip was covered in dried blood, and the mouth was slightly open. Her teeth had been fractured.
➔ The three physicians who performed the postmortem also stated in the report that the cause of death was homicidal as a result of the smothering's manual strangling effect.
CBI’s Takeover:
1. CBI Investigation Initiation:
- The Calcutta High Court directed the CBI to investigate the rape and death of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
- The CBI team, led by top officials from New Delhi, arrived in Kolkata and formed three groups to handle different aspects of the investigation.
2. Suspect's Arrest and Interrogation:
- The main suspect, Sanjay Roy, was arrested shortly after an FIR was filed.
- He underwent a medical examination and was questioned at the CBI headquarters in the CGO Complex.
3. Forensic Examination and Evidence Collection:
- Two CBI teams visited RG Kar Medical College with forensic experts and took custody of the accused.
- A third team analyzed the victim's call logs and other data from her cell phone.
4. CBI's Focus on Victim's Last Activities:
- The investigation is focused on the victim's activities and interactions before her death.
- Kolkata Police provided the CBI with a case diary, CCTV footage, relevant documents, and seized items like a Bluetooth earphone cable.
5. Medical Examination of the Accused:
- The accused was initially taken to Command Hospital but was later examined at BR Singh Hospital in Sealdah due to lack of space.
6. Visit to Victim's Family:
- CBI agents visited the victim's residence to speak with her parents and gather information about when they were informed of her death.
7. Interrogation of Hospital Officials:
- The CBI questioned the former medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal, the principal, the director of the Chest Department, and the officer in charge of the Tala police station.
8. Investigation into Civic Volunteer Sanjay Roy:
- The CBI requested detailed information on Sanjay Roy, including his call records and cell tower location.
9. Questioning of Former Principal Sandip Ghosh:
- Sandip Ghosh was questioned by the CBI late into the evening after he filed for protection, which is set for a hearing by the Calcutta High Court.
- Ghosh was appointed as the director of another state-run medical college and hospital shortly after resigning as principal of RG Kar.
10. High Court Involvement:
- The High Court noted Ghosh's influence and ordered him to take an extended leave.
August 20: The case was taken up by the Supreme Court on a suo motu basis. Following the rape and murder of the medic in Kolkata, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud appointed a 10-member task team to develop a nationwide standard for guaranteeing their safety and amenities.
August 22: Kolkata Police received criticism from the Supreme Court for their inaction in the case.
"How come the unnatural death information was forwarded to the Tala police station at 11.30 pm on August 9, even though the post-mortem was completed at 6.10 pm on the same day? This is really unsettling," Chief Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court observed.
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