KOLKATA: The mother and father of the postgraduate resident physician whose physique was found in a seminar corridor of RG Kar Medical School and Hospital on Aug 9 first raised the alarm of “homicide” round 3pm that day. Nevertheless, the formal FIR was not lodged till 11.45pm, almost eight-and-a-half hours later – greater than three hours after the physique had already been handed over to the household for cremation at 8.30pm.
The case has sparked scrutiny, with Kolkata police underneath stress to elucidate the procedural delay in dealing with the 31-year-old physician’s rape and homicide.
Paperwork from courtroom proceedings and interviews with law enforcement officials revealed that assistant professor Sumit Kumar Tapadar notified police at 9.45am concerning the discovery of the physique in a “seminar room” and urged them to file an FIR. Nevertheless, police acquired the official written grievance from hospital authorities at 2.45pm.
The police timeline confirmed they had been knowledgeable of the dying at 10.10am and arrived on the scene by 10.30am. Kolkata police’s murder squad reached the placement by 11am, adopted by senior officers by 12.30pm. By 12.45pm, an “unnatural dying” (UD) case was registered.
The sufferer’s father criticised the delay. “We advised everybody it was a case of homicide after seeing the physique round 3pm. We lodged our grievance round 5 or 5.30pm. However the FIR was formally registered hours later. Solely the police know why,” he mentioned Tuesday.
Throughout a Supreme Court docket listening to, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud addressed the delay. “It’s the obligation of the hospital authorities to file an FIR instantly after such an incident happens, no matter whether or not the mother and father had been current,” he mentioned.
In keeping with senior felony lawyer Milon Mukherjee, it was legally permissible for police to first lodge an UD case, as that they had not but decided whether or not the reason for dying was suicidal, homicidal, or unintentional. “Nevertheless, as soon as the post-mortem decided homicide, notably, within the RG Kar case, police may have suo motu registered an FIR underneath particular sections of the brand new regulation coping with homicide,” he mentioned.
Fellow felony lawyer Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee mentioned a UD case is often registered when the reason for dying is unclear, however all indicators on this case pointed to homicide.
Senior law enforcement officials defended the delay. A Kolkata police officer mentioned: “The UD case allowed us to start our investigation, together with inquest, seizure, and post-mortem. The delay in submitting the formal FIR was on account of officers being occupied with regulation and order duties. When the officer in cost returned to the station, the FIR was filed in accordance with Part 111 of the Police Rules, Calcutta, 1968.”
