Nearly a year after their 26-year-old daughter, a postgraduate trainee doctor, was found dead inside a locked seminar room of the RG Kar Medical College’s chest medicine department, her parents wait for the truth.

They say their wait for justice has only become harder with time and their only hope is in the judiciary now.

“We have lost all faith in the police and the CBI. For reasons best known to them, the CBI appears compromised, either politically or otherwise. They are just parroting what the Kolkata Police had said,” her father told PTI.

On August 9, two public events are scheduled in Kolkata to mark one year of the rape and murder of a young doctor at the state-run hospital. Protesters are expected to march to Kalighat, chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

The doctor’s body was found in the seminar hall on the fourth floor of the emergency building. The nature of her injuries and the fact that it happened within a state-run hospital led to protests across campuses in Kolkata and beyond.

Students, doctors, and civil society groups took to the streets demanding accountability. But a year later, her family says the case has gone nowhere.

“It wasn't just a murder... it was a message that even the brightest women aren't safe, not even inside a hospital,” her father said.

Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and murder. But her family believes he did not act alone.

“From day one, we have said there was more than one person. She was a strong girl. There is no way only one man could have done this inside such a secure building. All the early cover-ups point to a bigger nexus,” her mother said.

They have also raised questions about the destruction of evidence.

“There were three bodies at the crematorium that day. Yet our daughter's body was cremated first. Why the hurry? Steps were taken to wipe out evidence,” her father said.

Two others were arrested, Sandip Ghosh, then principal of the medical college, and Abhijit Mondal, former officer-in-charge of Tala police station, for allegedly misleading the probe.

Mondal was released on bail after the CBI failed to file a chargesheet within 90 days.

“We were foolish to trust the CBI... they repeated what the Kolkata Police fed them. No new names, no new arrests, no answers,” her father said bitterly.

“That alone tells you how seriously the CBI is taking this... they couldn't even file the charge sheet on time. Now they claim they are probing a 'larger conspiracy'. But we doubt they will ever file a supplementary charge sheet,” he said.

The Supreme Court, too, had raised questions about how the case was handled. But the family says those questions remain unanswered.

“Those questions still remain unanswered... all they (CBI) say is, 'investigation is ongoing'. That's not enough,” he said.

“We are ordinary people, but not fools. Our daughter was raped and murdered in a room that's supposed to be locked inside a government hospital. How does that happen without protection from powerful people?” her mother said.

“What we got wasn't justice, it was a charade, it was a mockery of justice,” her father said.

They say what hurts most is the silence.

“They say they are probing a larger conspiracy. But what conspiracy takes a whole year to even file a supplementary charge sheet?” her father asked.

“They will drag this for ten, twenty years, until we are dead and gone. That's their strategy. Exhaust the parents. Exhaust the people who are seeking justice,” he said.

The family has been vocal about what they call political interference in such cases, pointing to the recent gang rape case at Kasba Law College.

“All three arrested have links with the ruling party. Incidents like these are happening again and again. Even after the outcry over my daughter's death, nothing has changed. That tells you how little this government cares. The accused must be severely punished,” her father said.

“We lost our only daughter. She was all we had... now we just want justice before we die. But we'll keep fighting till the end,” he said.

RG Kar Medical College became the epicentre of a state-wide movement. Junior doctors, nurses, and medical students demanded safety for women doctors and a CBI probe.

Protests spread rapidly, and the call for "justice for Abhaya" echoed beyond Bengal. On August 15, 2024, the “Reclaim the Night” campaign saw night-long marches. A rally at RG Kar was attacked by a mob, and the hospital’s emergency ward and crime scene were vandalised.

Two days later, the Indian Medical Association called a countrywide 24-hour medical strike. Doctors and students shut down hospital services in Kolkata for days. The protests continued for months, with more hunger strikes and marches.

Civil society groups joined the family in demanding a full investigation and punishment for all those involved.

“Now, as the cameras have gone, so have they. But people from all walks of life stood with us. And the people's movement will rise again,” he said.

‘Abhaya Mancha’, a forum formed after the crime, will mark Raksha Bandhan this August 9 with a public observance. A fresh “Reclaim the Night” march is planned on August 14 across Kolkata and its suburbs, from 9 p.m. to midnight.

When asked what justice would mean to them, her father replied:

“Justice means truth, naming everyone who was involved directly or indirectly. It means jail, not bail. I do not seek revenge. I ask for the truth before I die.”