Jalpaiguri: A writer-teacher from Alipurduar, Parimal Dey, who had been conferred the Banga Ratna honour in 2019, has decided to return it in protest against the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Dey said, “What happened at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is shocking. More alarming is the way the state is responding to it.I have, therefore, decided to return my Banga Ratna award and the money I had received on that account.”
Dey will contact the district treasury office on Tuesday to inquire about the process of returning the money and trophy.
“The way protests happened in Bengal and outside, it is my conscience’s call that I should return the award. I support the protest,” he added.
Rabindranath Ghosh, who was the north Bengal development department minister in 2019, appealed before Dey to reconsider his decision. “I honour his sentiment. But the incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has nothing to do with the award. Let me humbly remind him that the main accused in the incident was arrested within 12 hours. But then CBI took over. The state does not have many options,” Ghosh said.