Kolkata rape-murder horror: Doc's last rites performed at home, senior cop shares probe progress with family
Times of India | 12 August 2024
Additional commissioner of Kolkata Police, Murlidhar Sharma, near the victim’s house in Sodepur (left); women in her neighbourhood take out a rally (right) KOLKATA: On Sunday - the day when last rites of the 31-year-old PGT doctor were performed at her home - Kolkata Police additional commissioner, Murlidhar Sharma, apprised her family of the investigation done in the case so far.
During their meeting with Sharma, the family wanted to know whether Sanjay Roy - the key accused - had an accomplice. They also urged the senior investigator to bring the entire department of chest medicine at RG Kar Hospital under the probe ambit.The family informed the officer that their daughter was 'under mental pressure.'
"The (additional) police commissioner had come to our home today (Sunday). He has confided in us the progress of the probe. He has also given us the postmortem report. He spoke to us in detail. We have also conveyed to him what we want," the victim's family told reporters. The family said they were initially bewildered after receiving a call from an 'assistant superintendent' of RG Kar Hospital that their daughter had died by suicide. "After CM Mamata Banerjee spoke to us, and today (Sunday) after speaking to the police commissioner, we have complete faith in CM Banerjee and the police. All we want is justice and exemplary punishment of the culprits," they added. Sharma, after speaking to the family, said, "It is not about a lady doctor being brutally murdered. She is like my own sister and niece. We will see the end to this."
Though the family appeared satisfied with the probe's progress, they made it clear that something was ailing in the RG Kar Hospital. "My daughter did not like going to the hospital again. For example, when four male and one female doctor were allotted duties, no thought was given to the provision of retiring rooms for the female doctor. And, nothing moved there. Even after being told repeatedly, nothing happened. So, yes, my daughter was under mental pressure (working in that hospital). And, we have reasons to suspect that others in the hospital may also have been involved. We have demanded that the entire chest medicine department be brought under the probe ambit," the father said. Speaking on the autopsy report findings shared with them by police, the father said, "We are not medical experts but what we were told generically is that there were injuries in her lower parts, and she was murdered. But for the sake of ongoing investigation, please do not ask any more questions on this."
In the morning, the last rites were conducted in a simple manner. The home was closed for outsiders. There were some, who had come to express solidarity with the family, they were politely asked to return. Later in the evening, around 100 local women took out a 3km silent march in the neighbourhood. They refused to let in political flags in their rally. "I will try to be with the protesting students in RG Kar Hospital (on Monday). I support their demands. All we want is justice. We will fight for it," the father said.