Won’t Stop This Movement Until Trial is Over, Justice is Ensured: Subarna Goswami on RG Kar Case

Dr Subarna Goswami is a public health expert employed in West Bengal government’s Health Services. He is also additional general secretary of the All- India Federation of Government Doctors’ Association, and has been in the forefront of the agitation against the heinous rape-murder of a junior doctor in the premises of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata. Edited excerpts from and interview with Newsclick

Sandip Chakraborty: As an alumnus of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, how do you see the change in the atmosphere of the institution then and now?

Subarna Goswami: In British-ruled India, Dr. Radha Govind Kar, a stalwart physician, had literally begged people to build a private medical school, which eventually became a medical college, and was acquired by the government later. It is now known as R G Kar Medical College, one of the few premier medical institutes in the country.

We were used to seeing a democratic atmosphere, excellent academic milieu, sterling teacher-student relationship as also between seniors and juniors. This was seen in other medical colleges of the state as well. But recent years have witnessed a sea change in the ambience, which is very distressing to me as an alumnus of RG Kar Medical College.

For several years, various allegations of corruption have cropped up not only in this medical college and hospital, but in the entire state health sector. At the same time, an undemocratic atmosphere has been created and continues to grow. Students, doctors and staff are always in some sort of conflict with the administration. The corruption around which this sort of environment has thrived was mainly noticed after the COVID-19 pandemic. To be more specific, following the 2021 Assembly elections, after which a qualitative change was seen in the nature and extent of this corruption. 

Earlier, we have seen in media reports that CCTV cameras were turned off in Calcutta Medical College because the son of an MLA of the ruling party, who was also a minister at the time, was going to sit for his final exams. We also witnessed attempts by a leader of the ruling party (Trinamool Congress), a doctor by profession, getting dialysis done of the pet dog of an influential party leader at SSKM Hospital, one of the centres of excellence.

We condemned such incidents and protested against them. But after the 2021 Assembly elections, there has been a huge qualitative change in the prevalence of corruption. The kind of corruption that used to be there a decade ago has become more widespread. After the 2021 Assembly elections, some medical profession leaders of the ruling party cornered the earlier leaders and came to the fore. They formed a criminal nexus in all institutes in the health sector -- from medical colleges to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, from where examinations are conducted, the Medical Services Corporation Limited, from where drugs and medical equipment are purchased for the entire state, the Health Recruitment Board, from where nurses, doctors and various health workers are recruited. Everywhere the leaders of this criminal gang are placed at the helm. And these miscreants, under the guise of being doctors, chose R G Kar Medical College & Hospital as a laboratory to find out newer methods of corruption.

They have now reportedly started a business with dead bodies from morgues and smuggling biomedical wastes to neighbouring countries. Such businesses could not have been even invented by the previous corrupt leaders of the same ruling party.

Earlier, the son of a leader close to the regime would take an exam, so the CCTV would be switched off so he could cheat. But in the new era of corruption, mass cheating is going on, and if teachers resist, they are threatened with transfer to remote districts.

Students alleged they were told to pay and get high marks. Those who did not want to pay or were associated with Opposition student organisations and questioned corruption, were dropped. This culture was consciously developed under the hegemony of the students’ wing of the ruling party. Earlier, showing party loyalty would lead to promotion, now auctions are held for high positions. 

It is at this stage that we, on behalf of the medical associations, have written several letters to the highest levels of the state administration. We asked for time for a deputation, but in vain. Our letters received no reply. We informed the media through press meets as via various news channels, but no one paid attention. A former deputy superintendent of R G Kar Medical College & Hospital even filed a complaint with the local police station with evidence of corruption, and with the State Vigilance Commission and the State Health Secretary. As a consequence, the deputy superintendent was transferred to Murshidabad, a remote district.  Those against whom the complaint was made, remained in situ.

SC: What is the role of medical fraternity in the ongoing protest movement against the heinous rape-murder at R G Kar?

SG: The medical fraternity we are in touch with in India and abroad confirms that nowhere in history can we find an instance where a woman doctor is brutally raped and murdered in her own hospital while on duty. We are of the view that this brutal incident is an inevitable consequence of the nexus of criminality in the health system of the state, with political support and administrative indulgence. And, as evident from the subsequent course of events following the ghastly rape and murder, the state health administration and police administration's cover-up of the truth, suppression of evidence and attempts to shield the rapists and murderers make the RG Kar incident particularly significant.

The Indian Medical Association was the product of a conflict between Indian doctors and white doctors led by Dr. Neelratan Sarkar, Dr. Bidhanchandra Roy et al before Independence.  However, such a united movement of doctors across the state, country and even outside the country is unprecedented in history. Such protracted protests by the medical fraternity have never been seen in our country since Independence. Seniors and juniors together, regardless of political allegiance and affiliation, this united medical movement is so determined that they will eventually triumph.

The questions that the doctors were raising from the first day of the heinous incident, are today being echoed by the toiling people, from poor farmers to city professionals. Our demands have now become mass demands.  People are that this is not just a case of a doctor being raped and murdered, but the tragic outcome of corrupt politics.

SC: What do you have to say about the role of the state government, and administration, particularly police and health departments?

SG: On August 9, 2024 morning, when the body of the murdered junior doctor was found in the seminar room of the chest department at R G Kar Medical College &Hospital, although we do not know if it was the crime scene at all, it was first labelled as a case of suicide. The poor girl's parents were called over the phone and they kept waiting for over three hours to see their daughter’s dead body. The college principal refused to meet them. They made many requests to the police officers to allow them to see their daughter's face from a distance. No permission granted. 

But, at that same time, the college authorities invited and the police allowed the heads of some notorious criminal syndicates access to the seminar room. Although these people are spread across the state, they arrived at the scene within half an hour. Did they know that such an incident would happen, and they had to reach the RG Kar Hospital in half hour? Was everything planned? They are liable for tampering with evidence in the presence of the police officers.

If the chest seminar room was indeed the crime scene, it should have been cordoned off by the police. More surprisingly, when the video of the presence of this syndicate around the dead body in the seminar room started going viral, the Kolkata Police tried to identify them as fingerprint experts!

Furthermore, the post-mortem autopsy examination was done after sundown even though there is a rule that it should not be done after dusk. And who did the autopsy? Forensic experts belonging to the same notorious syndicate gang. One of the experts was from NRS Hospital, even though there was no order from the principal of NRS Hospital.

The autopsy report was uploaded on the portal after a long closed-door meeting with the syndicate. The hearse was blocked by Left youth activists with demands to preserve the dead body for a second autopsy somewhere else. But the police removed them by force and handed over the body to the local leaders of the ruling party, who cremated her first, past the other bodies awaiting cremation. Then some local leaders of the ruling party took away the crematorium’s certificate.

The ruling party, the police administration, and the people of the health administration are liable to explain the reason behind this rule-breaking rush at every step.

There are more mysteries. On the same day, the Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI, identifying the Calcutta Police as a failure. The same evening, the RG Kar College principal, on the advice of the Health Secretary and the Director of Medical Education, ordered demolition and repair of the toilet adjacent to the seminar room. When it could not be completely broken due to people's anger, on the night of August 14, some 40-odd armed thugs vandalised the hospital, as the police stood by. Their intention was to break into the seminar room, as they were heard saying on camera that they were about to enter the seminar room. They couldn't break in because they couldn't figure out where exactly the seminar room was located.

SC: What's your view on the safety and security of doctors and health workers in the state?

SG: There are a large number of women health workers, ASHA workers, lady community health officers working in primary health centres and sub-health centres across the country, including our state. Out of two or three or four doctors in block hospitals, there may be one or two women doctors. They have to perform 24-hour duty. Can they be given security by police and military? 

Security is a social issue. In a secure society, criminals will be afraid to commit crimes because there will be a rule of law.  A health centre or a medical college is not an institution isolated from society, it is a part of society. No institution is safe in a state where criminals think they have friends in administration, in government. Neither a doctor, nor the village school teacher is safe. Even men and women who stay at home are not safe. As a result, all people, regardless of gender and regardless of institution, feel insecure in such a criminal, corrupt society.

SC: Your view on the state government's stance on safety of women?

SG: The major rape incidents that have happened in the state in the past few years have been undermined by the government with an intention to influence the investigation process and the society's thinking since the beginning of this regime. Some are termed as “arranged” incidents, some are said to be “minor” incidents, some MPs say it is a matter of negotiation between a sex worker and a customer, sometimes the administrative chief says it was a love affair. If the ruler and the administration have this attitude towards rape, then criminals and rapists realise that they have a friendly administration and they can commit crimes freely.

After this incident, the state government brought the 'Aparajita Bill' in the Assembly. The essence of the Bill is that women will not do night shifts, they will be confined at home, because the night shift will be done by criminals and rapists. Already women's participation in the workforce is low, such a legislation will further reduce job opportunities for them.

The Bill is an expression of an extreme paternalistic view on the part of the government. The Opposition in the state, which is also in power at the Centre, also supported the Bill without any amendment. In fact, the two ruling parties (TMC in the state and BJP at the Centre) are tied to the same ideology, the same philosophy—that of Manuism (followers of Manusmriti) where women's role is confined to the kitchen and bedroom -- entertaining men and producing children.

SC: The state government is in a crackdown mood. How do you plan to take your movement forward?

SG: Crimes like rape and murder amidst an extreme corrupt atmosphere are rampant. Instead of establishing the rule of law by taking the perpetrators to task, police brutality was witnessed when girls joined the peaceful movement during the ‘night vigil’ protest in Barasat a few days ago.  In Naihati, ruling party thugs attacked women. In Mathabhanga, a peaceful movement was attacked by pro-ruling party forces.

Doctors and peaceful protesters are being summoned to the police headquarters. Several Left-wing students and youth activists were arrested. A teenage girl from a protesting family was booked for writing something on social media. This is how they want to muzzle protesting voices, suppress the protest and shield the criminals.

As a result, people across the state are now divided into two groups -- one group is forming an alliance against crime, against injustice, against criminal-friendly administration, and are hitting the streets everyday. Rallies and processions are getting larger. They are marching from the tea gardens in North Bengal to Sundarbans in the South. This agitation has even spread beyond Bengal. Recently, protests were held in 28 cities around the world, like Houston, Atlanta, Glasgow, London, Brisbane, Frankfurt.

Another group of people is somehow saying – ‘we also want justice’.  When they say they want justice, they want to hang that drunk civic volunteer boy who was arrested within seven days of the incident. Some, like a very influential MP, are going two steps ahead, they want an encounter.

For us, justice means justice -- not only those who committed the rape and murder must be found and punished, but the deep-rooted criminal gang behind the incident, who have perpetuated a culture of intimidation across the state, in health, in education, and those who has been indirectly aiding and abetting, trying to cover up this crime, willfully trying to destroy the evidence -- every one of them should be identified and punished.

We will continue our movement demanding justice till the trial of 'Abhaya' is complete. We will not stop this movement until the trial is over, until justice is ensured - this is our firm commitment.