The father of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last year on Tuesday lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for failing to conduct a thorough probe which he claimed prevented the court from sentencing the accused to death.
A Kolkata court on Monday sentenced the accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment until death after he was convicted of the heinous crimes, rejecting demands for the death penalty, saying it was “not the rarest of the rare” crimes.
The additional District and Sessions Judge in Sealdah, Anirban Das, found Roy guilty of raping and killing the postgraduate trainee doctor on August 9, 2024. The heinous crime triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests in West Bengal.
Expressing both faith in the judiciary and disappointment with the CBI investigation, the victim’s father said, “We trust the judge and the judicial system. However, the CBI failed to conduct a thorough investigation, which left the judge with no option but to impose life imprisonment on Sanjay. Whether we will approach the High Court to challenge this decision will be decided after we review the entire verdict.”
“Had the CBI conducted a proper investigation, Sanjay would have been hanged,” he added.
The trainee doctor’s father also responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks over the court verdict and reiterated earlier allegations that evidence had been tampered with during the initial probe by the Kolkata Police.
“We will act in the best interests of justice. Mamata Banerjee doesn’t need to rush on our behalf; she has already done a lot. It was under her administration, and with the involvement of her Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police, that crucial evidence was destroyed,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee has claimed the probe was ‘forcibly’ taken away from the Kolkata Police, asserting that had it been with them, they would have ensured a death penalty for Sanjay Roy.
“From day 1, all of us had demanded the death sentence, but the court has given a life term until death. We still stick to our demand. I can share my party’s opinion; the case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he got the death sentence,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Furthermore, the victim’s father stood by his claim that the crime against his daughter could not have been committed by a single person, a charge which was dismissed by the Kolkata court during the trial.
“The victim was attacked by a single person who committed smothering, throttling, and penetrative sexual assault,” the court verdict said.
Apart from the life sentence until his death, the court also ordered Roy to pay a Rs 50,000 fine and directed the West Bengal government to pay compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the trainee doctor.
However, the father of the victim said they did not want any compensation, adding that they would continue their fight until all the other culprits were brought to book.