Kolkata doctor's rape-murder: Parents allege police tried to hush up case

FAMILY members of a doctor, who was raped and murdered here last month, joined the protesting medics at RG Kar hospital and accused the Kolkata Police of attempting to suppress the case by hurriedly cremating the body of the doctor.

Participating in the protests at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the body of their daughter was recovered on August 9, the parents also accused a senior police officer of trying to bribe them after the incident came to light.

“The police, from the very beginning, tried to hush up the case. We were not allowed to see the body and had to wait at the police station while the body was taken for post-mortem examination. Later, when the body was handed over to us, a senior police official offered us money, which we immediately declined,” the father of the deceased doctor said.

The parents of the postgraduate trainee said that they joined the protest on Wednesday night to support the junior doctors fighting for justice for their daughter.

After the incident came to light, protests erupted across the state, with people from various sectors demanding justice for the victim.

Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer for allegedly being involved in the rape and murder of the trainee doctor.

The Calcutta High Court ordered the case to be handed over to the CBI in the second week of August.

Later, the court ordered the transfer of the probe into the alleged financial irregularities at the hospital from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the central agency.

On Monday, the CBI arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, in connection with alleged financial misconduct at the establishment.

Kolkata turns off lights

Kolkata experienced a unique and powerful display of civic solidarity when residents turned off their lights for an hour from 9 pm on Wednesday and came down to the streets with burning candles to express support for the deceased doctor's family.

Significant pockets across districts of West Bengal also witnessed spontaneous protests from citizens hitting roads late in the evening with burning torches, candles and even backlit mobile phones demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital victim.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, which had called for the protest, titled the event 'Let There Be Light, Let There Be Justice' had planned it to coincide with the Supreme Court's scheduled hearing in the rape-murder case on September 5.

The protesters demanded that the case, which is currently being heard by an apex court bench, be resolved expeditiously so that justice doesn't get delayed any further.

At 9 pm sharp, prominent landmarks such as the Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan, along with many homes across the city, its suburbs and districts, plunged into darkness as part of the protest.

Large crowds gathered across the city, Howrah, and Salt Lake, taking to the streets with candles and mobile phone torches, chanting "We want justice" and demanding accountability for the alleged gruesome rape-murder of the trainee doctor.

In Kolkata, protests were held in prominent landmarks including Shyambazar five-point crossing, Moulali, New Town Biswa Bangla Gate, Rashbehari crossing, Behala, Garia, Ballygunge, Hazra crossing and Jadavpur 8B bus stand.

Doctors, both junior and seniors, held a protest at the epicentre - RG Kar Medical College and Hospital - where the victim's parents and her extended family members were also present. (PTI)