23 dead in striking doctors: Bengal govt submits report to Supreme Court | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: During a hearing into the rape and murder of a postgraduate doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the West Bengal government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that 23 persons have lost their lives due to the ongoing doctors’ strike. The strike was launched in protest against the rape and murder of a postgraduate doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, presented a status report filed by the health department before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. “A status report has been filed. The health department has filed a report. Twenty-three people have died because doctors are on strike,” Sibal told the bench also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
Earlier, on August 22, the Supreme Court had strongly criticised the Kolkata police for delay in registering the unnatural death of the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. The court described the situation as “extremely disturbing” and raised questions on the sequence of events and timing of procedural formalities.
In the last hearing, the West Bengal government was asked by the Supreme Court to submit a report on the investigation into the August 14 incident of vandalism and violence at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The Supreme Court had also set up a 10-member bench National Task Force (NTF) to develop a protocol aimed at ensuring the safety and security of physicians and other healthcare professionals.
The Supreme Court expressed outrage over the incident, which it described as “appalling” and came down heavily on the Bengal government for the delay in filing the FIR and for allowing thousands of people to vandalise the state-owned facility.
The alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor, whose body was found with serious injuries in the seminar hall of the hospital’s chest ward on August 9, has led to nationwide protests. A civilian volunteer was arrested by Kolkata police the next day in connection with the case.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the investigation to be transferred from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which began the probe on August 14.