RG Kar verdict proves Kolkata Police carried out proper investigation: TMC
The parents and colleagues of the victim, however, stuck to their charges of a bigger conspiracy and refused to see Roy as the sole perpetrator.
Kolkata: Having faced criticism from citizens and opposition parties since the August 9 rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress found its government vindicated on Saturday when a court declared Sanjay Roy, the prime suspect, guilty.
Roy, a civic volunteer working for the Kolkata Police, which initially probed the crime, was arrested on August 10 and handed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the Calcutta high court ordered the federal agency on August 13 to take over the investigation.
“The verdict has proved that Kolkata Police carried out a proper investigation. We have been saying this all along,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, indirectly hinting at allegations that the police tried to shield the real culprit and used Roy as a fall guy.
Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge at Kolkata’s Sealdah court declared Roy guilty under sections 66 (rape), 64 (causing injury resulting in death) and 103 (1) (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on scientific and circumstantial evidence submitted by CBI.
The parents and colleagues of the victim, however, stuck to their charges of a bigger conspiracy and refused to see Roy as the sole perpetrator. They focused on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and Abhijit Mondal, the local Tala police station’s former officer-in-charge. Although arrested on September 14 by CBI and charged with tampering of evidence, both were released on bail as the agency could not file chargesheet in 90 days.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal legislative assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said he welcomed the court’s verdict but could not ignore the demand of the victim’s parents.
“I welcome the verdict but the views of the parents must be taken into account by the court,” Adhikari said.
Going a step ahead, Sukanta Majumdar, president of the BJP’s Bengal unit said: “CBI faced an uphill task because the Kolkata police had five days to erase a lot of evidence before the federal agency took over. CBI said this in court.”