The family of a trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered at a state-run hospital in Kolkata last month, has alleged that the Kolkata Police attempted to suppress the case and offered them a bribe. The incident, which occurred at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, has sparked widespread protests and demands for justice.
According to the victim’s father, the police tried to hush up the investigation by cremating the body hastily and preventing the family from seeing it. “We were not allowed to see her body and had to wait at the police station while the post-mortem was conducted. Later, when the body was handed over, a senior police officer offered us money, which we immediately refused,” he said. The family joined a protest in Kolkata on Wednesday, raising concerns about the handling of the case.
Initially, the Kolkata Police were in charge of the investigation, but it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an order from the Calcutta High Court.
Protests have since intensified across Kolkata and West Bengal. On Wednesday night, thousands of women took part in the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, with the victim’s parents joining junior doctors demanding justice for their daughter.
In response to the growing outcry, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed an anti-rape bill on Tuesday, calling for capital punishment for rape convicts if the victim dies or is left in a vegetative state. The bill also proposes life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for other offenders.
In a related development, the CBI arrested Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, for alleged financial irregularities at the institution. Student doctors have accused hospital authorities of neglecting repeated calls for improved security measures at the facility.
