'Big fish' theory emerges in Kolkata doctor sexual assault, murder case; Nirbhaya's mother speaks up

Colleagues of a Kolkata trainee doctor, who was sexually assaulted and murdered earlier this month, have said that she paid the price for knowing the alleged murky activities that certain higher-ups in the hospital were engaged in. The Kolkata victim was found murdered hours after she went to the medical college seminar hall to rest.

It has been found that she was being put through tremendous work pressure, which included working for 36 hours at a stretch.

A colleague told the Times of India newspaper that her death was not a simple case of sexual assault and murder.

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She questioned how did Sanjoy Roy, the man accused of the crime, know that she was alone in the seminar hall. The colleague alleged Roy could be a part of a plot hatched by "a big fish".

"We suspect it was not a simple case of rape and murder? She was targeted. How did the civic volunteer know she was in the seminar hall alone at that time?" the colleague said.

"There are murmurs of a possible drug siphoning racket in her department that she was trying to expose," another colleague told the paper.

Meanwhile, two Trinamool Congress workers, several men in their teens or 20s, and a couple of women were among people identified or arrested in connection with the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the night of August 14, The Indian Express has reported.

Nirbhaya's mother speaks up

Besides, the mother of Nirbhaya, the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, has demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying she had "failed" to handle the situation.

Speaking to the news agency PTI, Asha Devi also slammed Banerjee for "trying to divert people's attention" by holding protests.

Banerjee had led a rally this week demandingdeath penalty for the guilty in the case.

"Instead of using her authority to take action against the culprits, Mamata Banerjee is trying to mislead the public," Asha Devi was quoted as saying by PTI.

"She herself is a woman. She should have taken strict action against the culprits while discharging her responsibility as the head of the state. She should resign because she has failed to handle the situation," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)