RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: Victim's parents accuse Mamata govt, CBI of 'shielding' main perpetrators

The post-graduate trainee’s body was found in a semi-naked state in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital on August 9 last year, sparking nationwide outrage and protests.

The parents of the post-graduate trainee doctor, who was found dead under suspicious circumstances at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year, have accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of failing to prevent an alleged cover-up by the police and hospital authorities.

They claimed that efforts were made to shield the “main conspirators” of the crime and slammed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for overlooking a larger conspiracy and failing to identify all the perpetrators.

"The Kolkata Police, hospital administration, and representatives of the TMC all worked to suppress the incident, ensuring that the truth never comes to light," the victim's mother told a Bengali news channel on Friday.

The post-graduate trainee’s body was found in a semi-naked state in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital on August 9 last year, sparking nationwide outrage and protests. On January 20, a trial court sentenced Sanjay Roy, the sole convict in the case, to life imprisonment until death.

"The Chief Minister cannot disown herself of the failure of the Kolkata Police, the hospital administration, and other authorities," the victim's mother said, questioning why the crime scene was not sealed and why evidence was tampered with by the entry of numerous onlookers.

She alleged that surveillance footage from the day of the incident showed 68 individuals in the area, yet only Sanjay Roy was identified as the lone perpetrator.

“The CM has to explain why the crime scene could not be sealed and the evidence was tampered with by the entry of a large number of onlookers. She has to explain why from the footage of 68 people moving in the area on August 9 morning till midday, only one person Sanjay Roy was identified as the sole perpetrator of the crime?” her mother questioned.

The victim’s father echoed these concerns, accusing both the Kolkata Police and the CBI of conducting inadequate investigations. "Despite our testimony, neither agency addressed the alleged suppression of facts or the larger conspiracy behind the crime," he said.

The TMC has dismissed the accusations as “unfortunate” and politically motivated. The chief minister also holds the police and health portfolios.

"These remarks seem to be influenced by forces trying to tarnish the image of the TMC and the Chief Minister," said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Defending the government, Ghosh noted that the Chief Minister had instructed the Kolkata Police to expedite the investigation, which led to Sanjay Roy’s arrest within days. He added that the case was handed over to the CBI following an order by the Calcutta High Court.

Ghosh also highlighted the state police’s track record in securing convictions in other rape and murder cases, including instances where capital punishment was handed down to the convicts.

The victim’s parents, however, maintain that justice remains incomplete as the alleged larger conspiracy behind the crime has not been uncovered.