The parents of the doctor, who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year, have accused India’s premier investigative agency of failing to conduct a thorough probe and attempting to shield the “actual perpetrators,” intensifying scrutiny of the high-profile case that sparked nationwide outrage.
Lawyers representing the victim’s family alleged a “profound breakdown in trust” not only with the Kolkata Police, which initially investigated the case, but also with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which later took over the probe on orders of the Calcutta High Court.
The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead at the seminar room on the college campus on 9 August 2024. The killing triggered protests across West Bengal and other parts of India, with demonstrators demanding swift justice and accountability. The CBI arrested Sanjay Roy in connection with the case. He was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, the victim’s parents contend that the crime involved a larger conspiracy and that Roy was framed to protect others. Advocate Rajdeep Haldar, counsel for the victim’s family, alleged that the investigation was being “intentionally steered away” from those truly responsible. He claimed that members of the Kolkata Police fraternity could be linked to the case and described what he called deliberate “dereliction of duty.” “The dereliction of duty can happen from a single police officer,” Haldar said. “But here, the pattern suggests something more systemic. Sanjay Roy has been projected as an accused to save the actual accused.”
The victim’s family has filed a petition seeking custodial interrogation of certain police officers and doctors whom they believe were involved or complicit. According to the family’s legal team, the CBI’s own report submitted to the Supreme Court indicated involvement of some of these individuals and noted that they had failed polygraph tests. “Following this, the CBI’s duty was to conduct custodial interrogation, which has not yet been completed,” said Amartya Dey, another lawyer of the family.
“So many days have passed. The CBI is objecting to our petition. It appears the agency wants to conceal the truth,” said Dey.
The investigation was handed over to the CBI after the Calcutta High Court expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the case by local police. Since then, the federal agency has arrested several individuals and submitted periodic status reports to the courts.