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From a botched investigation by Tala PS to post-incident chaos, the court didn’t hold back in pointing out how the city’s law enforcers dropped the ball.
RG Kar rape and murder case convict Sanjay Roy sent to life imprisonment | Image/ANI
Even as the Sealdah Court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment in the chilling RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, the judgment stopped short of the noose. But what’s startling isn’t just the punishment — it’s the scathing 172-page order that lays bare glaring missteps by the Kolkata Police.
From a botched investigation by Tala PS to post-incident chaos, the court didn’t hold back in pointing out how the city’s law enforcers dropped the ball.
Following are the lapses the court found as far as the probe by the city police is concerned:
1. Hastily Conducted Initial Investigation
“Prior to starting the specific case, the concerned PS had started one UD case vide Tala PS UD Case No. 861 dated 09.08.2024. Afterwards, an investigation was started by the said PS,” the court noted.
Citing the deposition of Prosecution witness, the court found that the police did not pay any heed to the request for a second postmortem of the victim’s body, and the cremation was hurriedly conducted without proper protocols.
After perusing the evidence, the court also pointed out that if the officers of Tala PS would take proper initiative by applying their intellect at the very first time, the matter would not become so complicated.
“I am sorry to comment that the officers of Tala PS showed a very indifferent attitude from the very inception,” it said.
2. Neglect of Family’s Rights and Requests
The court in its order further noted, “The father of the victim stated that after coming out from the main gate of RG Kar Hospital, the hearse rushed at high speed, and they could not follow it. At Tala PS, he and his wife decided that they would make a prayer for a second postmortem of the victim’s body, but police did not pay any heed to it.”
3. Improper handling of Evidence and Crime Scene
The court also condemned SI Subrata Chatterjee for illegal acts and failure to follow investigative protocols. His actions, including handling evidence without proper records or transparency, were deemed serious lapses.
Inspector Rupali Mukherjee’s handling of the accused’s mobile phone was criticised for lack of proper custody or documentation. The court remarked that although no tampering was proven, her conduct displayed poor investigative management.
With regards to the Hospital authorities, the court said that it was beyond doubt to consider that from the end of any authority, efforts were made to show the death as a suicidal one so that the hospital authority would not face any consequences.
“From the case record it appears that the said ‘illegal dream’ of the authority was not fulfilled as the Junior doctors raised protest and submitted one memorandum to the Principal and at that time, police force started their action but it caused sufficient delay and probably it was the reason for which the parents of the victim were not allowed to see their daughter,” the court said in its judgment exceeding 100 pages.
The court also condemned such attitude of the RG Kar hospital authority. “It is very much clear that the then Principal and the MSVP of Hospital were very much aware on getting the intimation that the victim was raped and murdered inside the hospital premises while she was on duty,” it added.
“It is not clear to me as to why the then Principal or the MSVP did not send any official intimation to the police authority about such unnatural death,” the court questioned further.
The Sealdah Court on Monday sentenced Sanjay Roy – the convict in the RG Kar rape and murder case – to life imprisonment, denying CBI’s request for a death penalty.
Awarding life sentence instead of much demanded death penalty, the court said, “In the realm of modern justice, we must rise above the primitive instinct of “an eye for an eye” or “a tooth for a tooth” or “nail for a nail” or “a life for a life.”
“Our duty is not to match brutality with brutality, but to elevate humanity through wis- dom, compassion and a deeper understanding of justice,” the court said.