Kolkata medic rape-murder: Accidental victim or targeted attack?

It seems that Kolkata medic's rape-murder has more to it than meets the eye as the deceased doctor's parents and colleagues suspect that she knew too much because of which she was silenced.

The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was perhaps targeted in a bid to hide a larger ploy, and the only person arrested so far might just be a pawn and other perpetrators may still be at large.

So far, the investigation has led to the arrest of Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police disaster management force. The suspect has had a history of domestic abuse and was known to frequent the hospital.

According to a Times of India report, the parents of the deceased doctor have raised questions citing recent details from her diary which suggested she was undergoing immense stress and work pressure in the weeks leading up to her death.

The victim had worked at the hospital for over a year and had to do long shifts of up to 36 hours.

"We suspect it was not a simple case of rape and murder or that she was an accidental victim. She was targeted. How did the civic volunteer know she was in the seminar hall alone at that time? He could be part of a plot hatched by big fish," a colleague was quoted as saying.

There are also speculations of a possible drug-siphoning racket within her department that she was trying to expose. A colleague said that there's a reason to believe so, as the PGT doctor was known for her integrity.

The parents of the victim also spoke about this to the police before the case was transferred to CBI.

According to the TOI report, her colleagues also mentioned about a culture of "punishment overwork" at the hospital under the management led by former principal Sandip Ghosh. Those who did not comply with Ghosh’s directives had to face serious consequences, it said.

The tragic incident came to light on the morning of Aug 9 after the second-year PGT was reported missing by her colleagues.

Her semi-clad body was found with visible injuries that hinted brutal assault. According to the autopsy, the trainee doctor was raped and strangled to death.

Following the incident, there have been massive protests in Kolkata and various parts of India with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) calling for a 24-hour nationwide strike on Aug 17.