Amid cries that justice has been denied, the parents of the junior doctor raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year expressed deep frustration with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s handling of their daughter’s case.

The parents met with the agency’s director in Delhi on Thursday. Speaking at a public gathering past midnight on Friday at Calcutta’s Shyambazar five-point crossing, the woman’s father said that the CBI director told them that only Sanjay Roy raped and killed their daughter. Roy has been convicted of the crime and sentenced to life term in prison.

The woman’s father revealed sharp disagreements with the agency’s investigation. The central dispute is whether one person or multiple perpetrators were involved in the August 9, 2024, crime.

“The CBI director was trying to convince us that only one person was involved in the crime,” the father told hundreds of supporters who had gathered after a torch rally from College Square on Friday night. The parents maintain their belief that not all culprits have been apprehended.

Currently, Roy, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, stands as the sole accused. In January, a city court sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment following the CBI’s chargesheet. However, the slain junior doctor’s family remains unconvinced that Roy acted alone.

In a startling revelation, the father said that the CBI director expressed a desire to be released from the investigation. “When we kept repeating our questions, he got up from his seat. He told us the CBI wants to be released from this probe,” the father recounted. “I told him they must tell this to the court, and we will have no regret.”

The agency’s director reportedly acknowledged giving the grieving parents more time than usual visitors. “He told us he never gave anyone so much time but made an exception for us since we had lost our daughter,” the father said.

Family loses faith

The parents’ confidence in the central agency has eroded significantly. “There is no guarantee that the CBI is not sold out,” the father stated bluntly. He criticised the agency’s inability to answer their questions satisfactorily.

The case was initially handled by Kolkata Police before being transferred to the CBI. Despite promises of a supplementary chargesheet, none has been filed. Roy was arrested by Kolkata Police on August 10, 2024, a day after the horrific crime.

Political tensions

The slain doctor’s mother addressed allegations that the family harbours political ambitions. “Many people are saying we have got justice and that we are still protesting because of political ambitions. That is not true,” she said. “Nothing can give me back what I have lost, but I will fight on for justice.”

She also called for chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation, saying: “It is
time that she resigns from Nabanna.”

The father was equally critical of local authorities: “The less we speak about Kolkata Police and the state government, the better.”

Doctors’ protests

Junior doctors who led protests following the incident were present at the midnight gathering. Debashis Halder questioned the investigation’s timeline. “They kept saying they would file a supplementary chargesheet, but did not file any. Every time we met CBI officers, they said investigations were still underway. Our question is for how long?” he said.

The gathering took place under the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, with the woman’s parents and medical professionals expressing dissatisfaction with the investigation’s progress and scope.