West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the controversy surrounding the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, denying that her government had offered money to the victim’s family. Speaking during a press meet on Monday, Banerjee clarified that no financial compensation was proposed to the grieving parents, contradicting earlier claims.
“Money wasn’t offered to the family. They were told if you want to do some good work in the memory of your daughter then tell us. One has to prove if money was offered,” Banerjee stated. She further added, “I went to the victim’s house but did not give money. I spoke about compensation following the Court’s order. I told the doctor’s parents that if they wanted to do something in her memory, our government is with them.”
Banerjee further emphasized that her desire has been to resolve the issue through dialogue rather than punitive measures, saying, “I don’t want to take action against anyone but resolve the issue through discussion.”
The controversy erupted on Friday when Trinamool Congress leaders claimed that the victim’s parents had falsely accused government officials of offering them money. However, the parents reiterated their stance, asserting that Deputy Commissioner (DC) North had indeed offered financial compensation. This has intensified the public discourse surrounding the case, which has drawn significant attention due to the brutality of the crime and the alleged mishandling of the investigation.
In fact, The BJP has been putting pressure on the TMC, with senior leader Sambit Patra accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of attempting to cover up the circumstances of the doctor’s death. In a press conference on Friday, Patra had stated, “A person offers money when he is corrupt and tries to hide something,” calling for answers from Mamata Banerjee’s administration.
Patra’s remarks follow claims from the victim’s family that the police rushed them into cremating their daughter’s body under pressure. The victim’s father had earlier alleged that the family had wanted to keep the body for longer, but was coerced into a quick cremation by the authorities. “We wanted to keep the body of our daughter, but extraordinary pressure was mounted on us, and the body was cremated,” he had recently said during a protest at RG Kar Medical College.
Victim’s Family Questions the Investigation
The victim’s mother has also raised concerns about the investigation, accusing the police of failing to cooperate with the family and conducting a hasty post-mortem. “The police did not carry out a proper investigation. The officers did not cooperate with us at all. They only tried to close the case as soon as possible,” she had said on Sunday, adding that she believes more individuals in the hospital were involved in her daughter’s death.
The mother also expressed skepticism over the government’s handling of the case, alleging that Banerjee’s administration was trying to suppress protests. “She [Mamata Banerjee] said the culprits would be arrested as soon as possible, but only one person was nabbed. I am quite sure more people in the hospital are involved. I think the chief minister is trying to stop the protests. That’s why police enforced prohibitory orders today to stop the assembly of protestors,” she had said from her home in North 24 Parganas district.
The case has now attracted national attention, with the Supreme Court taking up the matter suo motu. The city of Kolkata, meanwhile, has been seeing extensive protests from students and civil society groups, with the citizen-led protests refusing to die down.
Source: msn
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