Kolkata rape-murder: A look at how the events unfolded in the horrific RG Kar College case

After months of widespread protests sparked by the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the staterun RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata the Sealdah Court in the state capital on January 18 pronounced 33yearold Sanjay Roy guilty in connection with the heinous crimeThe decision was handed down by Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das 57 days after the incamera trial began on November 12On Monday Roy was sentenced to life imprisonment until death for the brutal crime that shook the nationHerersquos a timeline of the Kolkata rape murder caseAugust 9 2024A 31yearold junior doctor was found dead in the seminar hall on the fourth floor of RG Kar Hospital where she was practising The postmortem report would later confirm that she was strangled to death after sexual assault Her body had 16 external and nine internal injuries the postmortem confirmedAugust 10 2024In the initial investigation the Kolkata Police arrested Roy as a suspect The traffic police volunteer was later charged for committing the crime The revelation led to nationwide outrage and prolonged protests by junior doctors medical professionals and Indian Medical Association IMA in Kolkata and other parts of the country demanding justice for their colleague and increased safety for healthcare professionalsAugust 12 2024The hospitals principal Sandip Ghosh stepped down amid the protests over the incident The West Bengal government also transferred the hospitals superintendentAugust 13 2024The victimrsquos parents along with others filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI due to distrust in Kolkata Police The High Court then transferred the case to the CBIAugust 14 2024The Kolkata Police formally handed over Roy to CBIAugust 15 2024As the country celebrates its independence the horrific night could not be overshadowed as lsquoReclaim the Nightrsquo rallies emerged across Kolkata The rallies are organised by women and activists who demand justice for the victim and protection of women in the country However at RG Kar Medical College the protest turned violent A mob vandalised the hospital and the crime sceneThe National Commission for Women NCM accused the authorities of security lapses and claimed that the crime site had undergone premature renovations leading to more tensionsAugust 17 2024The Indian Medical Association IMA declared a 24hour withdrawal of medical services in solidarity with the victim referred to as Abhaya the fearlessrsquoAugust 18 2024The Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance of the case amid the nationwide protest and scheduled the hearing for August 20August 20 2024The apex court formed a 10member task force to address the safety of the nationsrsquos healthcare professionals The threejudge bench headed by then Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also criticised the Mamata Banerjeeled government the Kolkata Police and the hospital administration over the delay in filing the FIRAugust 27 2024A Nabanna Abhijan march was given by an unregistered student body named Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj and a dissident state government employees platform Sangrami Joutha Mancha The ruling Trinamool Congress claimed that this was a BJPbacked protestAugust 28 2024However the march to the West Bengal secretariat turned into clashes between police and protestors leading to a statewide strike called by the BJPSeptember 2 2024The CBI arrested Sandip Gosh in relation to an alleged financial fraud at RG Kar Hospital during his tenureSeptember 14 2024Mamata Banerjee took a step to end the standoff between her government and protesting doctors and finally visited the site where the medical professionals were staging a sitin and interacted with themThe same day the CBI took Sandip Ghosh and a Kolkata police officer Abhijit Mondal into custody over delays in filing an FIR and tampering with evidence in the Kolkata rapemurder caseOctober 5 2024After more than 50 days of protest in two phases doctors launched a hunger strikeOctober 7 2024The CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused Sanjay Roy in the case and said he allegedly committed the crime that took place on August 9 when the medic had gone to sleep in the hospitals seminar room during a breakOctober 24 2024The protesting doctors called off the hunger strike following a meeting with the CM Mamata BanerjeeNovember 12 2024The incamera trial in the Kolkata rape and murder of the junior doctor began A delay in filing the chargesheet resulted in bail being granted to the accused in the case including Abhijit Mondal and Sandip Ghosh TDecember 13 2024The Sealadh court granted bail to both Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal after the CBI failed to file its chargesheets within the statutory 90day periodJanuary 9 2025The hearings in Sanjay Royrsquos trial were concluded during the trial 50 witnesses were examinedJanuary 18 2025Sealdah court convicts Sanjay Roy of rapemurder of kolkata woman doctorJanuary 20 2025Sealdah court sentences Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment It also directs state to pay compensation of Rs 17 lakh to RG Kar doctors family in rape and murder case