Kolkata Police Denies Viral Claims About Bedsheet Color in Doctor’s Rape-Murder Case
Kolkata Police issued a firm denial on Thursday regarding widespread claims on social media and television channels that the color of the bedsheet covering the body of a trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered, had been changed during the investigation.
Indira Mukherjee, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Central Division, Kolkata Police, addressed the media to dismiss these claims as baseless. “Today, we have seen viral video clips on social media and some television channels discussing that the bedsheet used to cover the body was a different color than the previously reported blue,” she said.
Mukherjee clarified that the police had meticulously documented the crime scene, beginning their photography and videography session at around 12:25 pm on the day of the incident. She emphasized, “During the entire process—from the seizure to the inquest and when the forensic team arrived—the bedsheet used to cover the body was consistently documented as blue.”
The controversy erupted after news channels reported that the color of the bedsheet had mysteriously changed. According to these reports, junior doctors and the victim’s parents gave conflicting accounts. The junior doctors claimed the body was covered with a blue sheet, but the parents stated they saw a green sheet when viewing their daughter’s body hours later.
“We have no evidence of any green sheet in our photo and video records. It was always blue,” Mukherjee reiterated.
She also confirmed that the police had seized a red-colored cloth from the crime scene, which belonged to the victim. The cloth was used by the victim to cover herself before she fell asleep in the seminar room of the hospital’s chest department on the night of the incident.
The victim’s father has accused the police and hospital authorities of tampering with evidence, alleging that both the position of his daughter’s body and the color of the sheet had been altered.
This tragic case, involving the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College on August 9, has ignited nationwide protests and brought intense scrutiny on the investigation. The case was transferred from Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an order from the Calcutta High Court.
Adding to the controversy, three audio recordings of phone calls made by RG Kar Medical College authorities to the victim’s parents on the morning of August 9 have surfaced. These recordings raise questions about the hospital’s handling of the situation, with the assistant superintendent initially stating that the victim was “a little ill” and later suggesting she “may have died by suicide.”
DC Indira Mukherjee said the audio clips confirmed that Kolkata Police never informed the parents that the victim had died by suicide, as the hospital staff had relayed that information. “These audio clips only confirm what we have been maintaining so far,” she stated.
As the investigation continues, the public remains vigilant, demanding justice and transparency in this high-profile case