The suspension of three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers accused of dereliction of duty in the RG Kar rape-murder case was extended by a further 120 days on Monday, 6 July, according to officials at the state secretariat, Nabanna. The three officers — suspended in connection with the August 2024 rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata — remain under departmental inquiry, with insiders citing the need for an influence-free probe as the reason for the extension.

The Three Officers Under Suspension

The officers in question are the then-Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Vineet Kumar Goyal; the then-Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division), Abhishek Gupta; and the then-Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), Indira Mukherjee. Their suspension was first ordered on 15 May by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who also initiated a departmental probe against all three shortly after assuming office.

CBI's Fresh SIT and Ongoing Interrogations

Parallel to the departmental action, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has constituted a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a fresh probe into the case. Members of the SIT interrogated Gupta and Mukherjee last month and recorded their statements. The reconstitution of the SIT signals that investigative scrutiny of the case remains active at the central level as well.

How the Case Unfolded

The body of the woman doctor was recovered from within the R.G. Kar premises on the morning of 9 August 2024. Her mother, Ratna Debnath, is currently a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from the Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district. The discovery triggered widespread protests across West Bengal, drawing participation from the medical fraternity, civil society, celebrities, and ordinary citizens. The demonstrations subsequently spread to other states and reportedly reached international audiences.

Public anger focused sharply on Goyal and Gupta, with demands for their immediate resignation over what protesters described as a shoddy initial investigation. Mukherjee, meanwhile, drew criticism for allegedly disseminating misleading information during press conferences she addressed at the time.

Political Response and Administrative Shifts

Then-Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee transferred Goyal and Gupta in the face of mounting public pressure but retained Mukherjee as Deputy Commissioner (Central Division). The case effectively lay dormant at the state administrative level until Adhikari took charge and announced the reopening of the RG Kar files, the suspension of all three officers, and the launch of a formal departmental inquiry — all on 15 May this year.

What Happens Next

The 120-day extension keeps the suspension in force while the departmental probe runs its course. Officials at Nabanna indicated that the timeline is intended to insulate the inquiry from interference. The CBI's SIT is expected to continue its parallel criminal investigation, and the outcome of both tracks — departmental and criminal — will be closely watched by the victim's family, the medical community, and civil society groups that have sustained pressure on the state for accountability.