A horrific crime in a Kolkata hospital

Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

Content warning: This item has descriptions of murder and sexual violence.

A horrific crime in a Kolkata hospital

The crime: On Friday morning, a doctor was found murdered in a seminar hall in RG Kar Medical College—where she was supposed to be on night duty. The victim was a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee. The body had extensive injuries—suggesting that she had been raped and strangled:

The body of the 31-year-old was found in a half-naked condition, with a pink kurti and white upper garment lying on a blue mattress. A pair of jeans and an undergarment were found near the body. A hair clip was found near the private parts. The blue mattress on which the body was found had many strands of hair and was soaked in blood.

Some police sources say she may have first been killed—and then raped.

The perpetrator: left a Bluetooth headphone on the scene—which led to Sanjay Roy’s arrest. The police also found a bloodied shoe at his residence. He has no connection with the hospital. He is a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police. Millennium Post has more on Roy’s “disturbing past”—which included abusive behaviour in a series of marriages, and financial fraud.

The fallout: The murder has sparked protests by doctors and the wider medical fraternity—including the Indian Medical Association (IMA). They are angry at the lack of security on hospital premises—including “no CCTV coverage in sensitive areas, tout rackets, no proper rest rooms for on-call doctors, and no screening for outsiders entering at night.”

Reading list: The Hindu has the latest details from the police. Indian Express reports on the lack of security in the hospital. Times of India offers the most useful reporting from the day of the crime, while The Print has a decent broader summary. The Telegraph and Mint get into the harrowing details that came out of the inquest. Hindustan Times covers the reactions to the case, and NDTV has more on the arrest. Millennium Post looks at the accused’s personal life and alleged history of abuse.

Olympics Update: Au revoir, Paris!

The closing ceremony at the Stade de France wasn’t as Seine-sational as the opener. But we got to see a stunt straight out of ‘Mission Impossible’—from Tom Cruise himself! Check it out below.

Aman Sehrawat bags bronze! At 21, India’s youngest medallist earned his podium place on Friday—beating Puerto Rico’s Darian Toi Cruz 13-5 in the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling event. As a result, India’s total medal tally in Paris finishes at six—one silver, five bronze.

Why it’s extra special: Sehrawat was orphaned as an 11-year-old, and a year later, his uncle dropped him off at Chhatrasal’s wrestling residential academy where he still lives and trains today. His medal win dedication: “This is for my parents, they never got to know I became a wrestler.” Indian Express has more on his background and his win over Cruz. Check out the match highlights here.

Phogat saga rolls on: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has deferred until Tuesday its decision on Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against disqualification—check out our Headlines edition for context. Two-time medallist Neeraj Chopra offered moving support.

Across the border: Pakistan’s gold medallist—and Neeraj’s bestie—Arshad Nadeem used his moment in the spotlight to make this moving appeal for his fellow citizens—especially women.

Things to see: The Paris Olympics saved their best for last in iconic moments. Here are our favourites.

One: Algeria’s Imane Khelif won the gender wars by taking home gold in the women’s welterweight boxing event. We couldn’t be more delighted for her and her medal presentation below is a must-watch.

Two: New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr served up this hilarious blooper in the men’s high jump event—shortly before winning gold!

Three: In a far bigger fail, Australia’s Rachael Gunn—who performs under the moniker ‘Raygun’—served up this disaster-class in the breaking event. She received no points from the judges, but an endless supply of memes—from Seinfeld to Sridevi!

Four: It’s rare to see football-style lafdas in most Olympic sports, but it was about to get very ugly between the Brazilians and the Canadians in the women’s beach volleyball. Fortunately, the DJ lightened the mood with a needle drop of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.

Five: Bhutan’s Kinzang Lhamo finished dead last in the women’s marathon—90 minutes after the gold medallist. She almost gave up on the race but had the will of the public pushing her on. Check out the heartwarming scenes below.

Six: Finally, we leave you with some of the finest photography to come out of Paris. Check our first and second favourite choices out below. We can’t wait for LA 2028!

A stunning image of Sofia Raffaeli from Italy.

And this sci-fi shot of a diver mid-air.

A tragic plane crash in Brazil

On Friday, a Voepass aircraft crashed in São Paulo—killing all 62 people onboard. The plane dropped from 17,000 feet—and landed in a residential area.

Mercifully, no one on the ground was injured. According to aviation experts, the trajectory of the plane proved that it had stalled—though no one knows why as yet. One theory: “The way the aircraft fell, spinning out of control, is characteristic of someone who lost the functionality of the wing and the aircraft controls. This can happen because of ice.” New York Times (login required) has more on that angle. (BBC News)

Bangladesh in crisis: The latest update

The context: Ground reports from Bangladesh reveal attacks on Hindu homes and temples by protesters. Minority organisation leaders say most are ordinary citizens—not members of the Awami League. Student leaders have acknowledged the violence—and blame it on “those who want to ‘destroy’ the student movement.”

What happened now: Hindu protests: Rioters have attacked Hindu temples and homes—claiming they are supporters of the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The interim government leader Muhammad Yunus has strongly condemned the attacks as “heinous.” And Hindus have held large rallies—and put forward a series of demands to protect minorities.

Data point to note: According to Hindu groups in the country, minority communities in Bangladesh have faced 205 attacks across 52 districts since August 5. (Times of India)

Hasina’s conspiracy theory: Her “close associates” have conveyed a “message” from the former PM—which makes a bombshell allegation. Hasina claims that she was under pressure from the United States to cede a small island—to control the Bay of Bengal. She refused—and left the country instead:

I resigned, so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it, I resigned from premiership. I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, 'Please do not be manipulated by radicals.’

And contrary to her son’s claims, Hasina promised to be back—a la Schwarzenegger. (Economic Times)

War on Gaza: Yet another lethal strike

On Saturday, an Israeli air strike on Gaza city killed more than 100 people in the al-Taba’een school—which was sheltering refugees. The building also served as a mosque—and was hit during dawn prayers:

Jaafar Taha, a student who lives near the school, told the BBC the sound of the bombing was followed by screaming and noise. "'Save us, save us,' they were screaming," he said. "The scene was horrific. There were body parts everywhere and blood covering the walls."

FYI: According to the UN Human Rights office, at least 17 schools have been targeted in Gaza in the last month alone. The Israeli military, as usual, said the school was used as “an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility."—and says its “precise” strike only killed 19 militants. (BBC News)

Meanwhile, in Lebanon: Israel allegedly killed a Hamas leader—Samer al-Hajj—in a drone raid on the city of Sidon. This is unhelpful at a time when the region is on the brink of a broader conflict—after Tel Aviv took out top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in successive strikes last week. (Al Jazeera)

A ‘khandani’ list of obscenely rich Indians

According to the latest Barclays-Hurun India report, the net worth of the Ambanis is $309 billion (Rs 25.75 lakh crore)—which is more than 10% of India’s GDP! Reliance Industries Limited is at the top of the list of “most valuable family businesses”—followed by the Bajajs with a net worth of Rs 7.13 trillion (712,700 crore) and the Birlas with Rs 5.39 trillion (538,500 crore). Gautam Adani topped the list of first-gen family businesses with Rs 15.44 trillion in wealth.

Obscene point to note: The collective wealth of the top three families alone stands at Rs 46 trillion (46 lakh crore)—which is almost the same as Singapore's GDP. Business Standard has lots more mind boggling data.

Bad news about ‘clean’ veggies

According to a new report, washing fruits or veggies before you eat them doesn’t remove all the pesticide residue. In an apple, for example, “imaging results prove that the pesticides penetrate the peel layer into the pulp layer.” The only way to get that apple truly clean is to remove the peel along with “some of the pulp layer.” This, of course, contradicts the directive to always eat the peel—because it contains the most nutrients. (The Guardian)

In other health-related news: A new study has found higher levels of serotonin makes a person calmer during negative situations—getting bad news etc. Quote to note: “Serotonin is often referred to colloquially as the ‘happy chemical’ but perhaps it is time we thought of it as the ‘not-so-bad chemical.’” This Oxford blog has more details.

Joaquin Phoenix shuts down gay film

Joaquin Phoenix abruptly quit Todd Haynes‘ untitled film just five days before shooting was scheduled to begin in Mexico. Haynes had signalled that the gay romance would be highly explicit:

The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin. It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship.

The period film set in the 1930s would also have been Phoenix’s first performance as an LGBTQ+ character. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ star Danny Ramirez was slated to be his lover.

The worst bit: The film hinges on Phoenix’s presence—which brought in producers and distributors. The crew is out of work and Haynes is out of money to pay the losses which exceed seven figures. (IndieWire)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Radio Mirchi’s parent company—Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL)—has acquired music streaming platform Gaana for Rs 25 lakh.
In its second round of job cuts this year, Cisco will lay off thousands of employees and shift its focus to “higher-growth areas” like cybersecurity and AI.
Amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Air India has indefinitely suspended all flights to and from Israel.
A new study has revealed the extent to which financial strain has gripped Pakistan—74% are struggling to make ends meet, while 10% are working a second job.
According to OpenAI, users risk getting emotionally attached to the advanced version of voice mode for its latest model, GPT-4o.
Shipments of wearables to India—smartwatches, earphones, headphones etc.— have declined by 10% in the second quarter of this year. The main reason: smartwatch shipments have fallen by 27.4% in this period.

sports & entertainment

Celine Dion has called out the unauthorised usage of her hit song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump-JD Vance presidential campaign rally in Montana.
The interim Bangladesh government will approach the UN in a last-ditch attempt to keep hosting rights for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup—India, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand have advised citizens not to travel due to the political unrest there.

as for the rest

A new poll by New York Times/Siena College shows Kamala Harris leading against Donald Trump in three key states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Venezuela has launched a nationwide sweep—called Operation Knock-Knock—that is targeting anyone perceived to be challenging Nicolas Maduro’s reelection.

Six things to see

One: Donald Trump says terrible things in public. He says even worse things in private—especially about women (see: previous comments). The presidential wannabe has been caught calling Kamala Harris a “f**king b***h”—in a clip recorded right after Joe Biden bombed in the debate—but before she entered the race. (Axios)

Two: Turns out, extreme temperatures are having a strange effect on cars in China. They are swelling up—so much so that they look “pregnant” when it’s hot. The reason: protective films and vanity wraps. (Interesting Engineering)

Three: Travis Scott spent Friday night in prison in Paris—after getting into a public brawl with his own bodyguard, and the security guard at a high-end Paris hotel. He was freed from custody on Saturday. You can see the arrest here. (NBC News)

Four: In possibly her most villainous role yet, Olivia Colman got out the black latex and slicked her hair back to play Oblivia Coalmine—a character from the deep, dark world of fossil fuels. This is truly an awesome PSA about fracking. (Fast Company)

Five: Banksy seems to be in his ‘animal’ phase. After painting goats and elephants around London, he’s added a cat, a pair of hungry pelicans, and a howling lone wolf. Unfortunately, the cat has been taken down. (The Guardian)

Six: Dhee—best known for her ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ collab with Arivu—released a new song: ‘I Wear My Roots Like a Medal’. We love it for the kuthu beats! Watch the cool music vid here.