RG Kar rape-murder: Parents voice concern about handling of body at crime scene

The parents of the postgraduate trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, have voiced serious concerns about the handling of her body, alleging that it may not have been in the same condition initially as it was found in the seminar hall of the facility, hours after the incident.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday (August 17), the parents criticised the West Bengal government for “attempting to stifle the spontaneous public outcry” despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s public protests against the incident.

No faith in government

“We decry any attempt to muzzle the voice of the people, to stop the movement for justice, as not one person was involved in the incident. We hope the CBI probe will unravel the truth,” the father said from his residence in North 24-Parganas district on Saturday.

He further remarked on the irony of the situation, saying, “While the state administration is muzzling spontaneous street protests against the heinous crime and demanding punishment for all those involved, the chief minister herself has hit the streets to voice her protest against rape.”

The parents also told media house NDTV that they had lost faith in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after seeing the way the police handled the case. “All the women-oriented schemes of Mamata Banerjee — Kanyashree, Lakshmir Bhandar — are pseudo. Whoever wants to sign up for these schemes please see first if your Lakshmi at home is safe,” the mother told NDTV.

“We were told…”

When asked by the media about the condition in which they found their daughter’s body, the parents shared troubling details. “We were told that the body of our daughter was not initially found in the same condition as it was later kept in the seminar hall. We can’t say much, as we were not allowed to see the body firsthand when we rushed to the hospital upon hearing the news,” the father explained.

The mother added, “We were told by some people that there was no cloth on some part of the body.” However, the father interrupted, saying, “We can’t talk on the issue, as we had no access to the place where the body was kept. Please don’t ask us these questions, as the CBI investigation is ongoing.”

Torn pages of diary

When questioned about whether the woman used to chronicle her daily experiences in a diary, the father confirmed it. Asked if three to four pages of the diary were missing, as rumoured, he responded, “I can’t comment as the matter is sub-judice. We will inform the CBI of whatever we have.”

He also mentioned having an image of one of the torn pages but refused to reveal its content, stating that it would be shared with investigators. “See, our daughter wanted to live happily; she had dreams in her eyes. We want strict punishment for those who crushed her dreams. We are thankful to the millions in the state and country who are with us,” the father said, struggling to maintain his composure.

“Stand with us”

The mother recounted that they received a call from the hospital at 10.53 am on August 9. They reached the hospital at 12.30 pm but were only allowed to see their daughter’s body at 3 pm. During this time, they were made to wait in the chest medicine department for hours.

The mother also told news agency ANI, “Through you [media], we want to give a message to the people of the whole country. We are grateful to all the countrymen, people of the world and the state. We request that you stand with us until the accused is caught. We only wish that this should not happen to any mother, no one should lose their child like us...”

The father said, “This should never happen to any other human being...”

(With agency inputs)