The striking junior doctors at government medical colleges in Calcutta on Sunday demanded that the city’s police commissioner be investigated for the “failure” of police in probing the rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College and the former principal of the college, Sandip Ghosh, be suspended.

The junior doctors vowed to continue with their cease-work, which started after a junior doctor was found raped and murdered at RG Kar on August 9.

The doctors said they always doubted Kolkata Police’s probe and their suspicion was proven right when the CBI told the Supreme Court that the crime scene had been “altered”. They also demanded the resignation of the commissioner of Kolkata Police, Vineet Goyal.

They said they were surprised that the state government had yet to take any action against Ghosh despite so many allegations against him. Ghosh resigned as RG Kar principal days after the postgraduate trainee was raped and killed.

The junior doctors repeated that they would continue with their cease-work, which has crippled services in the medical colleges, because there is still no clarity on the progress of the investigation and the motive for the crime.

“According to the observations of the Supreme Court, Kolkata Police have failed. The police commissioner must resign taking responsibility for the failure. If necessary, he must be brought under investigation and tried,” said Debasish Halder, a postgraduate trainee.

At the Supreme Court hearing on Thursday, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, complained that the crime scene had been altered. Kapil Sibal, who was representing the Bengal government, denied the allegation saying the entire investigation by Kolkata Police had been videographed.

The Supreme Court questioned Kolkata Police’s “delay” in registering an “unnatural death” case and an FIR, as well as its tardiness in cordoning off the crime scene.

“One aspect is extremely disturbing… the cordoning of the crime scene was done at 11.30pm…” the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud told Sibal.

While junior doctors have been demanding the resignation of the police commissioner since a mob vandalised the RG Kar premises on the eve of Independence Day, the demand that the top cop be brought under investigation is new.

Goyal told The Telegraph on Sunday evening: “Kolkata Police investigated the case for about 96 hours and our team worked with honesty, integrity and transparency and collected humongous evidence. Our team arrested one person. We shared our findings with the parents. We also met with doctors and answered their questions and requested them to form a committee of 6-7 doctors with whom we offered to share the progress of the investigation. We are fully committed to supporting the CBI in their investigation for justice to the victim and her family.”

The junior doctors also vented their ire at the state health department. They said they failed to understand why the department had not yet taken any action against former RG Kar principal Ghosh.

Ghosh has been accused by several students of trying to pass off the doctor’s rape and murder as suicide.

“Why Swasthya Bhavan (the headquarters of the state health department) has yet to take any action against Sandip Ghosh? He should be suspended immediately and remain so till an investigation clears him of all charges,” Halder said.

“Ghosh has been sent on a long leave by Calcutta High Court but the health department has not taken any action against him. We are surprised by this lack of action from Swasthya Bhavan,” he said.

A senior official of the health department told this newspaper: “The matter is sub-judice. The court has sent Ghosh on a long leave. There is nothing else we can do now.”

A striking junior doctor said: “We have been demanding from the beginning that all culprits be arrested. We believe this crime cannot be one man’s job. The CBI should make it clear what they have found so far. Only one person has been arrested. Since the CBI took over the probe on August 13, we have not been able to know about any progress in the probe.”

A new demand that has cropped up is that the authorities must hold elections in all medical colleges and junior doctors and students should have participation in all decision-making committees. “If students and junior doctors are not able to participate in the committees, how will they air their grievances to the authorities?” said a doctor.