Nearly two years after the rape and murder of a young doctor inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital shook the country and triggered one of the biggest protests by junior doctors in recent Indian history, the case has returned to the centre of public debate with the suspension of three senior IPS officers over alleged lapses in handling the investigation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday announced that IPS officers Vineet Goyal, Indira Mukherjee and Abhishekh Gupta had been suspended pending a departmental inquiry into the conduct of the Kolkata police during the investigation into the young medic’s rape and murder in August 2024.

The announcement has reopened painful memories of a crime that sparked nationwide outrage, midnight marches by doctors, angry street protests and growing fears over the safety of healthcare workers, especially women working long night shifts in overcrowded hospitals.

"After taking charge as home minister, I asked for written reports from the chief secretary and home secretary regarding how the incident and its aftermath were handled,” Adhikari said at Nabanna. He alleged there had been “mishandling” in the initial response, including alleged failures in filing the FIR properly and taking prompt procedural steps.

He further claimed that there were allegations that members of the victim’s family were approached with compensation offers in a manner that “appeared like an attempt to influence the matter. ”. The call records and WhatsApp chats of officials involved at the time would now be examined, he added.

The suspended officers held key posts during the crisis. Vineet Goyal was then Kolkata Police Commissioner, while Abhishekh Gupta served as DC North and Indira Mukherjee was DC Central. Mukherjee later became one of the most visible police faces, briefing the media during the intense public backlash that followed the killing.

Yet the renewed scrutiny has also exposed sharp divisions over whether the police investigation itself had actually failed.

Several senior bureaucratic and police sources defended the earlier probe, pointing out that Kolkata Police arrested the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, within 24 hours. Roy was later convicted. “There were allegations of procedural lapses, which were debated even in the Supreme Court, but none appeared to significantly damage the investigation,” a senior bureaucrat familiar with the case said. “The CBI did not add much beyond what Kolkata Police had already uncovered within the first few days.”

Police sources also denied allegations that compensation discussions amounted to bribery. According to officials, Abhishekh Gupta had merely informed the family about state compensation policies for rape victims, following existing legal guidelines.

In 2024, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee defended those conversations, saying they were linked to Supreme Court directives on victim assistance and demands raised publicly by doctors' organisations.

“That money can never compensate for death,” Banerjee had said at the time. “If the family ever wishes to do something meaningful in their daughter’s memory, the government stands with them.”

The victim’s mother, now an MLA from Panihati, welcomed the fresh inquiry. She alleged that the previous administration had shared “wrong information” and obstructed a second post-mortem examination before the hurried cremation of the body. “First there must be justice for our daughter,” she said earlier while rejecting compensation.

The case had exposed something larger than a single criminal act. Studies published in medical journals, including The Lancet, and reports from the World Health Organization have repeatedly warned that violence against healthcare workers is rising globally, with women doctors facing particularly high risks during night duties. NCRB crime data in India has also shown continued concern over crimes against women and delays in institutional response.

Mental health experts say traumatic crimes become even more devastating when families lose faith in the system meant to protect them. Psychologists describe this as “institutional betrayal"—a condition where mistrust of authorities deepens emotional trauma, grief, and social anger.

That anger had once spilt onto Kolkata’s streets in the thousands. Now that the investigation has been reopened, Bengal may again confront uncomfortable questions about power, policing, and whether delayed justice can still restore public trust.