R.G. Kar victim’s parents accuse Trinamool Congress leader of hurrying cremation 

R.G. Kar victim’s parents said that they had gone to Tala Police Station to tell the police that they did not want their daughter’s body to be cremated that night

Parents of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) on August 9 have alleged that a local Trinamool Congress councillor had hurriedly taken their daughter’s body for cremation, against the family’s wishes. 

“Somnath Dey, a councillor of our area, got into our daughter’s hearse van and took her mortal remains away from us. None of our own family members were allowed to get into that vehicle,” the victim’s mother alleged in an interview televised on Friday on the Bengali news channel.

“When we were at Tala Police Station, he was calling us repeatedly, but we were not receiving his calls. Meanwhile our relatives informed us that her body was being taken to the crematorium,” she added.

According to her, she and her husband had gone to Tala Police Station to tell the police that they did not want their daughter’s body to be cremated that night but instead wanted to preserve her remains for the night and go home.

She further said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Agnimitra Paul and Sajal Ghosh were present with the parents and had asked them to take their daughter’s body to Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal.

“I held Agnimitra Paul’s hand and started crying, telling her I had not seen my daughter the whole day. I pleaded to her to let me see my daughter and let our driver come to our car again. Then she left, our driver returned to our car, and we left from Tala Police Station,” the victim’s mother said. 

The BJP took to social media on Friday night, after the parents’ television interview was aired, and commented on the allegations.

“Regarding Abhaya’s case, since her mother has shared her story, let the truth come to light. It was TMC Councillor Somnath Dey who took Abhaya’s body without her parents’ consent. The family faced police harassment, and it was BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul and BJP Councillor Sajal Ghosh, who intervened to protect them,” the Bengal unit of BJP posted on X.

In the post, the saffron party claimed that on the night of August 9, hours after the victim’s body was discovered, BJP leaders were surrounded by Tala Police Station’s officer-in-charge and a hundred armed goons. 

“These assailants were prepared to attack, as the BJP leaders attempted to move the family to the safety of Raj Bhavan. The BJP chose not to release videos of the incident to protect the family, ensure their safety and avoid turning the matter into a political issue,” they wrote on X.

Earlier, the victim’s parents had accused Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh and the police of pushing for a quick cremation on August 9. They had also alleged that the police had offered them money.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had interrogated Mr. Ghosh for over seven hours on September 23.

“I had gone to the RGKMCH at around 3.30 p.m. on August 9. Abhaya’s house falls in my Assembly constituency, she was a doctor in my constituency. I went there because I have a moral responsibility as the local MLA,” Mr. Ghosh had said earlier.

Published - October 19, 2024 08:43 pm IST