‘The phone does not ring at 9:30 pm anymore… It was a ritual. Life has changed': Parents of R G Kar rape and murder victim

Indian Express

17 hours ago

A YEAR has passed since everything changed overnight for the parents of a junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata while on duty.
In an interview with the Indian Express, the woman's parents spoke about how their lives have been impacted over this one year and emphasised that justice is all that they seek.
Excerpts:
How has your life changed over this one year?
Mother: Every morning, I used to wake up at 4 am and that is when she would go to sleep. I would get busy preparing breakfast and lunch and by 8:30 am, my cooking would be done. After she had bought the car, everyday it was my duty to do puja after taking a shower. Then I would wake her up and she would get ready to go to the hospital.
Her voice choking, the mother added, 'She would not eat unless I fed her, even on the last day (August 8) before she left, I fed her with my own hands, combed her hair and bid her goodbye. How was I to know she would never come back? Now I do not wake up early in the morning, what will I do… I let that time pass and then I get up.'
Father: The phone does not ring anymore at 9:30 pm, it was a ritual. She used to call me, ask whether we had dinner, speak a little about her work and when she would be able to leave for home. Before that dreadful day, my life used to revolve around my daughter… but now our lives are all about fighting to get my daughter justice, she will never come back but she deserves justice at least. We were to lead a beautiful life… now she would have completed her exams. She was also supposed to get married, everything was finalised.
Do you feel there has been any change in the security arrangements at hospitals since?
Mother: The situation at RG Kar might have improved as central force is deployed but at other colleges, it is still the same.
Father: My daughter was in her comfort zone, the workplace was her second home and there she did not have security… She was raped and murdered there. The hospital did not take any responsibility for anything, nothing has changed only big speeches are made by the Chief Minister but there is no law and order nor does anyone follow any orders.
Your daughter used to organise Durga Puja celebrations at your home…
Father: No more Durga puja, no more celebrations: Only a fight for justice. Two years in a row, our family had performed Durga Puja at our residence. But the third year, we lit a lamp at the same spot and sat for those four days, seeking justice.
Mother: We had nothing when she had come into our lives. We stayed in a small house. From a young age, she had aspirations of becoming a doctor and she achieved that. When she got admission for MD at RG Kar, she was happy and decided to perform Durga puja at home, but our Durga has left us forever.'
The sole convict, Sanjoy Roy, has moved the Calcutta High Court claiming that he is innocent?
Mother: The former civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy… We do not believe is the sole person responsible for the rape and murder… Others are likely involved.
Father: Will any criminal say that they have committed the crime? I feel that there is some sort of competition going on to save those who behind the crime.
As parents, what do you feel about the handling of the case, the investigation?
Mother: We made a mistake by believing the CBI. We had no knowledge about what to do, so those whom we trusted initially… they let us down in some sense… the administration and others.
Father: Our biggest mistake was believing the CBI…what they had written in the chargesheet. We believed that.
Would you want to join politics to improve the system?
Father: Entering politics is never a possibility. To get justice for my daughter, I will always want each and every political party to support us in our fight but we will never join politics or let any political party take advantage of our situation for their own benefit.
Mother: Never… We just want justice. Till our last breath, we will seek only that.
Your daughter was the sole bread-earner in the family. How are you coping with all the expenses now?
Father: There are difficulties in making ends meet, but we have carried on. The entire country is beside us. What more do we want?
Do you feel that that people may be forgetting the matter, slowly?
Mother: No one will ever forget this case, no one will forget my child.
Father: Even after so many protests, things have not changed much in this state. But we also know that no one will forget our child or our fight, each and every person will stand beside us.