‘Just want justice, never thought this could happen': RG Kar victim's mother recounts ‘assault by police' during death anniversary march

Indian Express

7 days ago

The mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim, who was injured allegedly during Saturday's police action during the 'Nabanna Abhijan' march held in Kolkata on the trainee doctor's first death anniversary, said on Sunday that she had never thought 'this could happen.'
'I never thought this could happen. I just want justice for my child. I am stable, though my head hurts. I have been kept under observation,' she told The Indian Express.
The victim's mother alleged that she had been assaulted and her 'shankha' (a traditional bangle worn by married Bengali women) broken in the police action. 'Why are they stopping us? All we want is to reach the secretariat and seek justice for my daughter,' she said.
Her family members said they would take her back home later on Sunday after she is discharged from the private hospital where she has been admitted to.
'My wife is stable. I will take her home after she is discharged. Doctors said she is out of danger. Yesterday, she was in danger when she was brought to the hospital,' the father of the deceased trainee doctor of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital told the media.
He alleged that the police were posted in the hospital to keep a watch on them and that the hospital had been pressured not to admit his wife initially. 'Two police personnel came to the hospital. One of them is sitting outside the ward where she is admitted. I asked them why they are here. They said they are just doing their duty. When my wife was brought in, the hospital said they needed to admit her, but late in the night, they said they would keep her under observation instead,' he said.
The RG Kar doctor's father said the Rapid Action Force had assaulted his wife, 'The RAF assaulted her with sticks. They could not pull me. They pushed me in the chest during the scuffle,' he said, further alleging that the police probably had orders from seniors to stop the rally.
'The ruling party tried to fob us off with money, but could not; we don't have children that they will give jobs to, so they are assaulting us. The fight will go on,' he said.
Hospital sources said a CT scan done on the RG Kar victim's mother found no internal injuries. 'Due to the scuffle, there are some injuries on the back. Antibiotics were administered,' a source said.
The family's legal counsel also visited the hospital. 'I am not here to do any politics. I have just come to visit my client and take legal instructions,' the counsel said.
The 'Nabanna Abhijan' was called by the trainee doctor's parents to mark their daughter's first death anniversary, after the Calcutta High Court allowed a peaceful protest. However, the protesters did not follow the prescribed route but headed towards Park Street and tried to break police barricades. The police lathi-charged them.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari visited the hospital on Saturday. Other BJP leaders also met the RG Kar victim's mother.
Speaking to the media, BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said, 'We have spoken to the family and the doctors. I also feel there is some pressure from the state government. So if a second opinion is required, we will take her to a central hospital, but right now she is stable. She has also told me that she will not wear 'shankha' until she gets justice.'
On August 9, 2024, a doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar hospital in Kolkata. The lone convict in the case, Sanjay Roy, who was a civic police volunteer, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.