Hospital in memory of junior doctor Abhaya planned at Krishnanagar
Telegraph | 11 January 2026
The parents of Abhaya, the junior doctor who was raped and killed inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024, on Saturday announced their decision to set up a non-profit, semi-charitable hospital at Krishnanagar in Nadia district, turning personal grief into a larger social commitment.
Friends and like-minded people who had stood by the duo in solidarity after the incident are part of the endeavour.
To give shape to the idea, the couple from Sodepur in North 24-Parganas formed a trust on Saturday.
Apart from the parents of Abhaya, the trust includes their close friends. The trust has also identified a plot to translate the dream into reality. On Saturday, responding to an invitation from friends, they visited Krishnanagar town to inspect several potential sites for the proposed hospital.
In a gesture that deeply moved the family, Asit Saha, a businessman and independent councillor of the Krishnanagar municipality, came forward to donate a plot of land along with a partially constructed structure located beside NH12 in the Mayanagar–Bahadurpur area on the outskirts of the town.
“It is more than a pleasure for me to dedicate this land to Abhaya, who was like my daughter. We would all like to live forever with Abhaya in this hospital,” Saha said.
Overwhelmed by the offer, Abhaya’s father described the initiative as both a symbol of resistance and a source of strength for the family. “It is a dream. It is to be set up as a landmark of protest and for seeking justice for my daughter and many others like her. At the same time, it has become our reason for survival. I am grateful to Asit Babu and my other friends in Krishnanagar who have come forward in such a selfless way and invited us here,” he told The Telegraph.
Reflecting on the broader significance of the effort, he added: “A fresh movement began today with the support of friends to help people who are in medical need but find it difficult to manage treatment because of financial limitations.”
When asked about funding, the couple said they were prepared to invest their life’s savings in the project while also seeking support from individuals and well-wishers who had earlier expressed solidarity with them.
“During the movement after the murder of my daughter, many organisations and individuals offered us money apart from government compensation, but we did not accept any such financial help. Now, if required, we will request them to contribute to this hospital as a mark of their love and tribute to my daughter,” Abhaya’s father said.
Outlining the proposed plan, Swapan Bhowmik, a senior journalist based in Nadia and a close family friend who first suggested the idea of a hospital and invited the parents to Krishnanagar, said the trust named after Abhaya would initially set up a multi-speciality hospital with outpatient facilities and limited inpatient services.
“The prime objective of the hospital is to serve financially backward people by providing good medical treatment at a very low cost,” Bhowmik said.
He added that the Krishnanagar unit of the Indian Medical Association, which has been running a free weekly medical service called “Abhaya Clinic,” had agreed to support the initiative by offering free services once the hospital becomes operational.
“The IMA has assured its cooperation for the hospital,” Bhowmik told The Telegraph.