– 10.10 am: Tala police station is informed by a police post at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital about the body of a woman found unconscious and half-naked on a wooden platform in a seminar hall on the third floor of the temporary building. The details are recorded as a general diary entry and the officers proceed to the location.

– 10.30 am: The police arrive, secure the crime scene and alert higher-ups.

– 10.52 am: The hospital’s deputy director contacts the victim’s family and urges them to come immediately.

– 11:00 am: The homicide squad arrives on the scene.

– 12.25 pm: Forensic experts, including photographers and fingerprint specialists, arrive and take the first photo of the body at 12:29 p.m.

– 12.44 pm: The victim is officially declared dead by a doctor.

– 1:00 PM: The victim’s family arrives at the hospital and is shortly thereafter taken to the seminar room.

– 13:47 hrs: The medical and death certificates are given to the police. The officer documents injuries, including to intimate parts, and registers the case as an unnatural death.

– 3:00 PM: The victim’s family and colleagues are demanding a judicial investigation and an autopsy in the presence of an examining magistrate and with the help of video footage, first orally and then in writing.

– 4:10 p.m.: The magistrate arrives; the investigation takes place from 4:20 to 4:40 p.m., in the presence of family and colleagues and recorded on video.

– 6:10 PM – 7:10 PM: Autopsy by forensic doctors with Judicial Magistrate present. Family and colleagues are also present and the procedure is filmed.

– 8:00 PM: A dog team arrives on the scene and maps the crime scene in 3D.

– 8:30 PM – 10:45 PM: The forensic team seizes 40 pieces of evidence and documents the process on video with local witnesses. The body is returned to the family after the autopsy.

– 11:45 p.m.: An FIR is filed based on the complaint of the victim’s father, alleging rape and murder.

Police said that the interrogation of suspects and examination of witnesses began on August 9, leading to the arrest of the accused, Sanjay Roy, the next morning after his confession. The case is now being investigated by the CBI following a directive from the Calcutta High Court.

Uncertainties in Kolkata doctor’s murder case

1. Delay in confirming death: The timeline shows a disturbing delay of more than three hours in confirming the victim’s death, raising questions about the need for a doctor’s note when the body was found lifeless.

2. Suicide claim: Discrepancies have arisen over whether the victim’s parents were notified of a suicide. The police timeline omits this detail, while the family claims they received multiple phone calls indicating a suicide prior to the police report.

3. Access for families: The victim’s family claims they had to wait three hours before they could see the body, which contrasts with the police timeline, which suggests they were given immediate access.

4. Delay in filing an FIR: Both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court have questioned the delay in filing the FIR. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud criticized the 14-hour gap between the agency’s discovery of the case and the FIR’s registration.

5. Crime scene integrity: The police timeline indicates that the crime scene was secured an hour after the body was found. However, the CBI claims that the crime scene was compromised even before their involvement, complicating the investigation.

The inconsistencies in the police timeline have led to growing public outrage and scrutiny, with the Supreme Court now considering the adequacy of police response in this high-profile case.

First publication: Aug 23, 2024 | 12:51 PM IST