Days after the verdict in the R G Kar rape and murder case was announced against convict Sanjoy Roy, where the Sealdah Court awarded him life imprisonment “until his last breath”, the Opposition has questioned the West Bengal government’s rush to appeal for the death penalty for Roy and why are they challenging the trial court order at the High Court instead of investigating and identifying if others are involved in the crime.
Alleging that the ruling TMC-government in the state wants to “save certain people”, former state BJP chief Rahul Sinha said, “The main thing is that the State government wants to save certain people. It wants to safeguard the real culprits which is why from the very first day we are seeing that the state government is demanding the death penalty for Roy.”
“The State government has already tampered with the evidence, why is the state government not taking any steps against those who tampered with the evidence. Sanjoy Roy cannot commit such a crime alone. Where are the others? Who are they?. We don’t see the state government taking any steps to look for them, which means that the state government is part of tampering with the evidence and now hurriedly without having any jurisdiction has moved to the High Court seeking for the death penalty under any circumstances,” Sinha alleged while speaking with The Indian Express.
Pointing out that “no one knows the motive behind this crime,” he further alleged, “Everyone is saying that it is not possible for one person to commit such a crime then the question is where are the others? Till now no one knows the motive behind this crime and under whose instructions did all this happen.”
“If Roy is given the death penalty all questions will remain unanswered. Like the then CPI(M) government under Buddhadev Bhattacharya had given the death sentence to Dhananjoy Chaterjee in 2004, but several questions came up, which will never be answered. Similarly if Sanjoy is hanged then those who are the real culprits will breathe a sigh of relief,” Sinha alleged.
Congress state spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy claimed that, “There are a lot of inconsistencies. From the very first day of the incident, the role of the Kolkata Police and the state was to cover up the entire incident and downplay it. When the judge was pronouncing the judgement he also mentioned the inconsistencies, then tampering of evidence and a possible cover up. It is also as clear as daylight that Roy is not alone. Now, if Roy is hanged then it seems… those influential people … hiding behind curtains, will be free.”
While addressing the state government’s push for the death penalty for Roy, Aich alleged, “Now it has become the sole duty of the state to silence the voice of Sanjoy Roy. From the very beginning we have said that this is a half cooked investigation, we feel that the Kolkata Police and the CBI together have misled the investigation. And with the hurriedness of the state for Roy’s death penalty, it is clear that they want to silence his voice to save others.”
Meanwhile, CPI (M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, while speaking with The Indian Express claimed, “Its very simple the CM is interested to ensure that there is no scope of indictment of her team. Like they had hurriedly cremated the victim’s body so that there was no chance of a second post mortem, similarly if Sanjoy is given the death penalty and hanged, there will be no scope to question him again. Just to save her team the CM has forgotten the law and moved for an appeal in the High Court.”
On Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Anirban Das of Sealdah Court had awarded Sanjoy Roy life imprisonment “until his last breath”. Roy, a 35-year-old civic volunteer, was convicted on Saturday under Sections 64 (punishment for rape), 66 (punishment for causing death or a persistent vegetative state to a woman), and 101 (1) (murder) in a ruling that came five months after the August 9 incident sparked outrage and triggered massive protests of doctors in West Bengal.