IMA team visits victim’s home, vows to stand by kin for justice
Times of India | 15 August 2024
Kolkata: A team of doctors from the IMA’s national body on Wednesday met the parents of the PGT doctor, who was raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College on Aug 9.
The doctors vowed to stand by the family not only for justice but also to provide any kind of help they need. “She was a daughter of the country and we failed to protect her. Imagine the pain of the parents, who put in their sweat and blood to raise and educate their only child.We promise to stand by them and provide them with any help they need,” said R V Asokanan, national president, IMA (HQ). The team spent around 45 minutes at the Sodepur house in the afternoon.
The parents reportedly told the IMA team they were convinced more than one person had brutalised their daughter. The parents pointed at the semen load of 150 mg, as mentioned in the postmortem report. “It’s not rocket science to suspect the involvement of more than one person, given the kind of injury inflicted on the girl,” Asokanan said.
The parents reportedly told the IMA doctors about the apathy on the part of the R G Kar administration. They claimed they had sought to speak to Sandip Ghosh, who was still the principal, hours after they were told their daughter “had died by suicide”. But, the parents said, they were not given an appointment. “The father told us that when he wanted to meet the principal, he was denied an audience. The principal is responsible for every student there. He should have shown empathy to the grieving parents,” said Asokanan.
IMA officials also pointed out that the principal should have taken the responsibility of lodging the FIR and questioned why the institute did not take ownership of the crime. “The tears of the inconsolable parents were unbearable, but we listened to their grievances so that we could do whatever possible to support them. This incident is not an issue only for Kolkata and the medical fraternity but also for entire society,” said J A Jayalal, past national president, IMA.
About security lapses at R G Kar, including inadequate CCTV cameras, the IMA team said security issues and lack of amenities were true for most govt hospitals in the country. They said there was a need for national-level action.