Accept judgment but not sure if he was the only one involved: Kin of accused
Times of India | 19 January 2025
12 Kolkata: As the news of Sanjay Roy's conviction was broadcast on television, his elder sister broke down in tears. "He should be punished if he committed the crime but I am not sure if he was the only one responsible for it. However, we have faith in the judiciary," she said as her voice choked.
Standing in front of her small house in a slum near Shambhunath Pandit Road, she continued: "I have been following the news since the beginning. I cannot even imagine the brutality with which the doctor was killed. But is it possible for a single person to orchestrate the rape and murder in such a short span?"
Roy's elder sister had not been on good terms with her mother and brother for the past few years. "I was aware that he had some addictions, but that never went beyond control. We grew up together and I have never seen any violent reaction towards any woman in him. However, I was less in touch with him over the past few years," she said.
While she did not challenge the judgment and the investigation by the CBI, she pleaded with the investigating agencies to find out who was behind the crime. "The real culprits should not be spared. I am not sure if my brother will appeal in any higher court," she said.
"I don't know what has happened. I was worried earlier. But now I have stopped worrying and left it to his fate. At this age, I can only shed tears," said Sanjay's mother.
Roy's lawyers on Saturday raised a number of questions. "We spoke to him in custody and he claimed that his hair was torn off while he was in the custody of Kolkata Police. He was asked to spit and that specimen was collected. The videography of the sample collection is also incomplete. The samples need to be sealed and handed over to the investigating officer immediately after the post-mortem. But it was actually handed over to the IO after three days. These anomalies definitely raise questions," said Sourav Bandyopadhyay, Roy's lawyer and chief of the Legal Aid Defence Council Service (LADCS), South 24 Parganas.
Another lawyer of Roy, Kabita Sarkar, who appeared for him initially, was present in the court on Saturday. "Why was there a hurry in the post-mortem and cremation of the victim? As the lawyer of the accused, I am yet to see the viscera report. This is not very normal in an investigation. The judge said that he will also deal with the role of police in the judgment," Sarkar said.