‘Had to run pillar to post, none cooperated’: Kolkata RG Kar rape-murder victim’s parents receive death certificate after 7-month ordeal

Health authorities from the West Bengal government handed over the death certificate of the victim in Kolkata trainee doctor rape and murder case on Wednesday evening. The victim’s parents are receiving the death certificate after seven months of gruesome crime.

West Bengal Health Secretary N.S. Nigam, accompanied by authorities from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital handed over the certificate to the victim’s parents. The authorities handed over the original death certificate to the parents.

"They needed the original death certificate. I came here and handed it over to them. No discussions were held," Nigam told presspersons. The authorities also shared a link with the victim’s parents for downloading the certificate in future.

The victim’s father said they had to face several hardships and had to run from pillar to post to get the certificate since the incident. The parents said they have demanding the certificate since August 9. "The health secretary suddenly arrived at our residence and gave us the original document. We have been struggling to obtain it. We sent an email in January and, even after that, had to go from one department to another, but no one cooperated," the victim’s father alleged.

The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in a seminar hall on the third floor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident led to widespread protests across the state. Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer was arrested by police for the rape and murder of the victim. The Central Bureau of Investigation later took over the probe of the case. A Kolkata court recently sentenced Roy to life imprisonment till death.

Though the victim’s parents approached the Supreme Court seeking a reinvestigation, the apex court disposed off the plea, directing them to approach the Calcutta High Court.