The parents of the RG Kar rape-murder victim want the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to summon and question Dr Abesh Banerjee—the nephew of former CM Mamata Banerjee. They allege that Dr Abesh was involved in efforts to conceal evidence after the crime.
The serious development comes only a day after the CBI questioned former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Deputy Commissioners of Police Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta. In May, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had suspended the three senior IPS officers for their alleged mishandling and dereliction of duty during the initial phase of the investigation.
The late trainee doctor's mother, Ratna Debnath, is an incumbent BJP legislator. They reportedly alleged that Dr Abesh Banerjee’s mobile phone tower location was traced to the RG Kar Hospital premises on the night of Aug 9, 2024—the day of the 31-year-old female postgraduate resident physician's murder.
“According to the post-mortem report, my daughter died between midnight and 6 am. Everyone present at the spot or connected to the incident should be investigated. If others are being questioned, then Abesh Banerjee should also be called and interrogated,” The Times of India quoted the MLA as saying.
Meanwhile, her husband reportedly claimed that Abesh Banerjee used a hospital bathroom to wash bloodstains from his body. These washrooms were demolished shortly after the incident, he claimed.
The Trinamool Congress has rubbished these claims and confirmed that the CBI has not issued any statement on the allegations.
The trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during her night shift. The Kolkata Police had arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy in connection with the crime.
The probe was later transferred to the CBI following an order of the Calcutta High Court. While the CBI did not make any further arrests in the case, a local court subsequently convicted Roy and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
However, the victim's parents have maintained that more individuals were involved in the crime, and the full conspiracy behind the incident has not yet been uncovered.
Following a change of guard in the state, the case was reopened for fresh examination. Thereafter, Goyal, Mukherjee and Gupta were placed under suspension.
