3 min readKolkataAug 9, 2026 06:08 PM IST
First published on: Aug 9, 2026 at 06:08 PM IST
A two-minute silence was observed at all government health institutions in West Bengal on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case.
A day earlier, Health Minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay had announced that his department will initiate a separate investigation into the rape and murder case.
Mukhopadhyay said the health department will summon everyone present at the hospital on the night of the incident. In addition, the investigating officers will also speak with the victim’s teachers and professors.
He further said, “If, in the course of investigation, the department thinks former health minister (Mamata Banerjee) should be summoned, that decision also will be implemented.”
The health minister stated the inquiry will also comprehensively examine what specific shortcomings or loopholes existed at the time in the hospital’s internal security and administrative framework, and how those deficiencies were subsequently rectified.
The findings and report of the departmental inquiry will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Meanwhile, Asfaqullah Naiya, a member of the Abhaya Mancha that spearheaded the protests in the wake of the rape and murder of the woman doctor, said, “State government is observing silence; we are welcoming that. But if the investigation of the RG Kar rape and murder case is also silenced, then it will not be accepted. Till date, we don’t know exactly what happened on that night. We want proper justice.”
It may be noted that the Kolkata Police, which initially investigated the rape and murder case, arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy for the crime. Later, when the Calcutta High Court directed that the case be handed over to the CBI, the agency also named Sanjay Roy as the sole accused in its chargesheet. The Sealdah court also found Roy guilty and ordered a life sentence.
However, from the very beginning, the family of the victim had expressed strong dissatisfaction with the investigation conducted by the police and the CBI. Accepting their plea, the high court ordered a fresh investigation and a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI was formed.
Last Thursday, when the report on the progress of the CBI investigation was submitted to the court, the division bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh expressed strong dissatisfaction over it. The court observed that the new SIT is being influenced by the old investigative process and is losing direction.
The Calcutta High Court ordered a fresh investigation and a new Special Investigation Team of the CBI was formed. (File Photo) 
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