On 9 August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate resident physician at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was raped and murdered in a college building. Her body was found in a seminar room on campus. On 10 August 2024, a 33-year-old male civic volunteer, named Sanjay Roy working for Kolkata Police was arrested under suspicion of committing the crime. Three days later, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) stating that the Kolkata Police's investigation did not inspire confidence. The junior doctors in West Bengal undertook a strike action for 42 days demanding a thorough probe of the incident and adequate security at hospitals. The incident amplified debate about the safety of women and doctors in India, and has sparked significant outrage, and nationwide and international protests.
Incident
On the night of 8 August 2024, the victim had dinner with her colleagues and retired in a seminar hall after a 36-hour shift in the hospital. At about 9:30 IST the following morning, her body was discovered in the seminar hall in a semi-nude state with her eyes, mouth, and genitals bleeding. She was later declared dead. College authorities initially informed her family that she had committed suicide.
An autopsy was conducted on 9 August and, after its completion, an unnatural death case was registered.
Investigation
Autopsy report
An autopsy revealed that the victim had been raped and sexually assaulted before being killed via strangulation. The report, spanning four pages, also noted deep wounds in her genital tract, lips, left leg, right hand, ring finger, neck, and face. The report revealed that the scratch marks on the woman's face were likely caused by the culprit's fingernails. According to the report, pressure was applied to her mouth and throat, and she was strangled, resulting in a fracture of the thyroid cartilage. The report also noted bleeding from her eyes, mouth, and genitals, with the injuries in her genital area attributed to "perverted sexuality" and "genital torture". The exact cause of the injuries to her eyes remains undetermined.
It was reported that the postmortem autopsy also revealed that around "150 mg" of semen was found in the vaginal swab. This finding, along with the extent of injuries, led the doctors who assessed the autopsy report and the victim's parents to suggest the victim may have been subjected to gang rape. However, the Kolkata Police has dismissed these claims as rumours, stating that it is impossible to distinguish semen from multiple individuals with the naked eye during an autopsy. The CBI investigation has not so far revealed any signs of occurrence of a gang rape. In a clarification of the report's data, it was stated that the "151 g" (not mg) relates to the total weight of the genitalia sample collected from the body, not exclusively to semen.
Arrests
Following an investigation, the police arrested a suspect, a civic volunteer Sanjay Roy with the Kolkata Police disaster management force who had been posted at the police outpost near the medical college. An anonymous police source speaking to the Hindustan Times described Roy as a womaniser and estranged family members described him as a domestic abuser. According to the Kolkata Police, he initially confessed to the crime. A psycho-analysis test of the accused in the case was conducted by the Delhi's Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on the request of the CBI. The officers told PTI that "he showed no remorse and was unflustered while narrating the incident". He was sent to 14-day judicial custody on 23 August.
A special CBI court had granted permission to the agency to conduct a polygraph test on the accused as well as the ex-principal of the college. The polygraph of the accused revealed several inconsistencies with regard to his narration of the events of the night of the crime. The CBI raided the house of Sandip Ghosh and former medical superintendent and college vice-principal, Sanjay Vashisth, on 25 August and seized several documents. It also filed an FIR against them over financial irregularities and corruption at the hospital. Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also launched an investigation over the financial irregularities by the hospital administration.
On 14 September 2024, Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the college, and Abhijit Mondal, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Tala Police Station, were detained.
Ghosh is accused of complicity in the delay of filing the First Information Report (FIR) and mishandling key evidence in the case. His arrest marks the second time he's been taken into custody—he had earlier been arrested for unrelated financial irregularities at the hospital. Meanwhile, Mondal has been accused of tampering with evidence and misleading the investigation team.
Investigation of the college principal
Sandip Kumar Ghosh, an orthopedic surgeon and the principal of the college, resigned amid the protests surrounding the incident. He cited an inability to endure the ongoing humiliation from social media criticism and defamatory remarks by politicians. Shortly after his resignation, he was appointed as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College, a move that sparked further outrage. On 13 August, the Calcutta High Court directed the government and the concerning authorities to place him on extended leave while also criticising his immediate re-appointment.
On 28 August, the Indian Medical Association suspended the membership of Ghosh amid allegations of corruption and the ongoing CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigations against him. He was the vice-president of the association's Kolkata branch. Ghosh had been subjected to two polygraph tests over an alleged cover-up of the rape and allegations of financial fraud and irregularities at the college and hospital. On 2 September, the CBI arrested Ghosh, along with his security aide Afsar Ali and vendors Biplav Singha and Suman Hazar, over financial irregularities and fraud during his tenure as the principal. He, along with the other arrested people, were remanded to eight-day CBI custody by a special court. On 3 September, he was suspended by the West Bengal Health Department. On 14 September, he was again arrested by the CBI along with a police officer, Abhijit Mondal, for destruction of evidence at the hospital.
Court proceedings
On 13 August 2024, the Calcutta High Court, unsatisfied with the police's handling of the investigation, assigned the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They also flagged the possibility of destruction of evidence if the state police continued with their investigation.
On 18 August, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the case. A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud heard the matter on 20 August. They criticised the State government and Kolkata police, as well as the college administration, over mishandling of the case and the vandalism which occurred on the night of 14 August. Following the incident and protests, the court constituted a national task force to ensure workplace safety for doctors and requested the protesting doctors return to their duties. The court ordered the Central Industrial Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force to provide security at the hospital and asked the CBI to submit a status report. In the hearing on 22 August, the court heavily criticised the law enforcement for the time delay between the discovery of the body and the registration of a first information report. It asked the state government to not take any action on the protesting doctors and the civilians and to not undertake any measures to stop peaceful protestors while requesting doctors to resume normal work. At a hearing on 9 September, judges sought clarification over the precise time of death and the filing of an unnatural death case. They asked for a CBI status report by the coming week. Advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared on behalf of the West Bengal government, informed the court that 23 people had died as a result of the protests by medical fraternity in West Bengal.
On 9 September, the Supreme Court asked all the protesting doctors to return to their respective duties by the evening of 10 September. It asked the state government to extend all possible support to the CISF team providing security at the R.G. Kar Hospital and medical college.
In line with the longstanding rape shield laws of India, in August 2024, the Supreme Court ordered that the name and photos of the victim be removed from social media and electronic platforms. On 17 September 2024, the Supreme Court specifically instructed Wikipedia to remove the name and photo of the victim.
On 16 September 2024, advocate Indira Jaising took the charge to represent the doctors from WBJDF in Supreme Court.
On 7 October 2024, CBI filed a preliminary chargesheet against Sanjay Roy, formally charging him of the rape and murder of the victim.
On 11 December 2024, the victim's main legal counsel Vrinda Grover withdrew from all the case proceedings and announced that she will no longer represent the victim, citing "intervening factors", suggesting a difference of opinion between the victim's family and the lawyer.
On 18 January 2025, Roy was convicted for the rape and murder under sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and was fined ₹50,000 (US$530) on 20 January. Roy maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed that he had been framed, beaten in prison and forced to sign papers. The judge further ordered the state to award a compensation of ₹17 lakh (US$18,000) to the family of the victim as the crime took place at her place of work. Anirban Das, the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Sealdah, noted that this was not one of the rarest of the rare cases and did not award the death penalty to Roy.
Following the conviction, the parents of the victim expressed dissatisfaction with the sentencing, stating that he deserved the death penalty, adding that the CBI did not work effectively. The victim's mother, publicly called for accountability and a transparent investigation following the incident. In 2026, she was nominated as a BJP candidate from Panihati in the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. The doctors and nurses echoed similar sentiments, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expected a death sentence. The Bharatiya Janata Party IT head Amit Malviya also criticized life imprisonment given to Roy, adding that verdict must be appealed and that the TMC Government should stop shielding the perpetrators. Malviya also added that the role of Kolkata Commissioner and Chief Minister should be investigated in the destruction of evidence at the crime scene.
On 29 January 2025, state government gave its nod for the prosecution of Sandip Ghosh by CBI on the corruption case.
On 29 March 2025, CBI submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court concluding that the incident was not an instance of gang rape. It also submitted a status report on its ongoing probe on “greater conspiracy to commit this crime and hush up the matter.”
Protests
Medical fraternity
The incident was widely covered in the media and triggered outrage across the nation. Within the medical community, student unions and colleagues of the deceased demanded justice and improved security measures on campus.
In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called on Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda to introduce a special central law aimed at preventing violence against doctors. They also urged that hospitals be designated as safe zones. This appeal followed widespread protests and strikes by resident doctors across the country in response to the crime, which raised serious concerns about the safety of medical staff.
On 13 August, over 8,000 doctors in the state of Maharashtra suspended all but emergency services. In New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats staged a protest outside major government hospitals. Emergency services stayed suspended on 13 August in almost all the government-run college hospitals in Kolkata. Similar protests in cities such as Lucknow, and Goa affected some hospital services. Hospitals which were the sites of protests included AIIMS Delhi, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital as well as the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.