RG Kar victim’s dad at centre of Panihati temple donation row
Times of India | 2 July 2026
Kolkata: A controversy has erupted in Panihati after allegations that the husband of local MLA Ratna Debnath pressured the priest of the nearly 200-year-old Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Temple to have donations from all the temple’s collection boxes counted at the MLA’s residence. Debnath’s husband, who is also the father of the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder victim, denied the allegations.
Temple priest Bankubihari Bandyopadhyay reportedly alleged that Debnath’s husband pressured him over the issue. An audio recording, purportedly of a conversation linked to the matter, has gone viral on social media. TOI did not verify the authenticity of the clip.
MLA Ratna Debnath alleged that she and her husband were being targeted for political reasons. “Some people in Panihati are conspiring to malign us politically. As the area’s MLA, I believe the temple’s donation money should be used exclusively for its development through a properly constituted trustee board under govt oversight. The priest and other stakeholders are welcome to be part of the board, but they will no longer be able to personally share the temple donations, as was allegedly done in the past,” she said.
Local sources said the temple receives substantial donations throughout the year, particularly during the annual Danda Mahotsab, which attracts lakhs of devotees. The priest alleged that on the eve of the festival, Ratna Debnath’s husband asked about the keys to the temple and donation boxes and said the collections would be counted at the MLA’s residence. He said he refused without written instructions, and the matter ended there. No written complaint has been filed. Debnath’s husband said a viral audio was taken out of context. “I had only proposed a trustee board to ensure transparency,” he said.