New Delhi: A 31-year-old postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor at Kolkata‘s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital was found dead under circumstances that have raised several troubling questions. Her parents and colleagues have expressed concerns that her death, officially reported as a rape and murder, might have been orchestrated to silence her for uncovering certain “secrets” within the institution. The sole individual arrested so far, civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy, is viewed by some as merely a scapegoat, with suspicions that the actual perpetrators are still at large.
According to information gathered from the doctor’s personal diary and her parents, she had been experiencing significant stress and pressure in the weeks leading up to her death. As a second-year PGT, she had already endured the grueling demands of medical training, which typically involves working 36-hour shifts. However, the sudden escalation in stress levels, as recorded in her diary, has prompted questions among her peers about the underlying cause. “We suspect that it was not a simple case of mere rape and murder or an accidental victim. She was targeted,” alleged a colleague, questioning how Roy knew she was alone in the seminar hall at the time of the incident.
There are unverified claims from her colleagues that the doctor might have been attempting to expose a drug siphoning racket within her department, which could have put her in danger. “There is a murmur of a possible drug siphoning racket from her department that she was trying to expose. There is a reason for us to suspect this as she was an upright person,” a colleague stated. The culture of “punishment overwork,” reportedly established under the previous hospital management, is also under scrutiny. This alleged practice involved assigning excessive work to those who did not align with certain institutional directives, as a means of control.The doctor, described by colleagues as diligent and focused, had always aspired to pursue medicine, even after clearing engineering entrance exams. She was reportedly thrilled to secure a postgraduate seat in chest medicine at R G Kar Medical College. On the day of her death, her parents informed the police that she had mentioned being under immense work pressure. Diary entries also suggest she had recently started documenting her thoughts, noting that some colleagues were overloading her with work.
Before the investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the victim’s parents reportedly suggested that their daughter may have discovered something within her department that she should not have known. In light of these revelations, many within the hospital community are calling for a deeper investigation, particularly into the hospital’s internal practices. They fear that anyone standing against irregularities is at risk of facing severe repercussions.
