Roy is the first TMC leader to be summoned by police for allegedly spreading misinformation in connection with the case. He is among 65 people who have received such a notice.
In the early hours of Sunday, Roy had taken to social media to call upon the CBI to act fairly and interrogate the Police Commissioner and the former principal to ascertain the truth behind questions he raised regarding the investigation into the rape-murder case.
The questions, which he raised in a post on X, were: Who “floated the suicide story” and why? Why was the wall of a hall near the crime scene demolished? Who supported Sanjay Roy, the accused, to allegedly become influential? And why was a sniffer dog allegedly only used after three days?
“There are hundreds of questions like these. Make them speak,” Roy said in his post.
Later in the day, police served him a notice, alleging that he was spreading misinformation. Police sources said Roy’s claim that sniffer dogs were used only after three days was wrong. The dogs, the police sources maintained, had been deployed twice earlier.
Police asked Roy to appear at their Lalbazar headquarters by afternoon, but he did not show up.
Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, as supporters of rival Kolkata-based football clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan came together in an unprecedented move to protest the rape and murder at R G Kar, they faced a lathi charge and some were detained by police.
Roy continued his support for protests, saying in a post on X: “I appeal to all football and sports lovers to protest unitedly against the arbitrary arrests of supporters of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in a peaceful and democratic manner. Jai Mohunbagan! Jai East Bengal!”
The aftermath of the rape-murder has seen divisions emerge in the ruling TMC.
Soon after Roy called for the Kolkata police chief’s interrogation by the CBI, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh took to X and said the demand was “unfortunate”.
“I also demand justice in the R G Kar case. But I strongly oppose this demand regarding the CP. After getting the information, he tried his best. Personally, the CP was doing his job, and the investigation was in a positive focus. This kind of post is unfortunate, that too from my senior leader…” Ghosh said.
After the junior doctor’s body was found in a seminar hall at the hospital on August 9, Roy has called for strict action. Last Wednesday, he joined a midnight protest, saying a day earlier: “Tomorrow, I am going to join the protesters particularly because I have a daughter and a little granddaughter, like millions of Bengali families. We must rise to the occasion. Enough of cruelty against women. Let’s resist together. Come what may.”
On Friday, Roy wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging that a Bill be introduced in Parliament for the safety of medical personnel in hospitals, women in the workplace, and girls in schools.
In the letter, he also called for the families of victims to be given financial assistance of up to Rs 50 lakh and a government job.
TMC general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee and Santanu Sen, a former TMC Rajya Sabha member, have also made strong statements after a mob attacked the doctors’ protest site and vandalised the hospital on the night of August 14.
Sen, who demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits, had said “everything is not alright” at the R G Kar hospital. He had also attended a rally organised by the protesting doctors. After that, he was removed as the spokesperson of TMC.
At the same time, other party leaders were quick to defend the Mamata Banerjee government from criticism over the incident.
Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee said at a public meeting in Sreerampur that there is an attempt to create a Bangladesh-like situation in West Bengal. He said the government showed restraint by not opening fire as miscreants went on the rampage at R G Kar hospital.
TMC MLA Udayan Guha said those pointing fingers towards the Chief Minister, and seeking her resignation, would be identified and have “their fingers broken”.
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