Parents of RG Kar victim seek permission from city court for access to crime scene
The matter is likely to be heard by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court tomorrow.
On August 9, 2024, a post-graduate trainee doctor was found dead in a seminar hall of the chest medicine department on the fourth floor of the emergency building of the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
'We do not think that the Central Bureau of Investigation is carrying out a proper investigation to nab all culprits. So it is essential that we, with our legal counsel, can access the seminar hall where it all unfolded. A revisit will help our lawyers answer questions during future court proceedings. Many questions are asked about the crime scene, which our current lawyer has not seen,' the victim's father told The Hindu on Monday (July 7, 2025).
He added that Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court had directed them to approach the Sealdah court to seek permission for revisiting the place of occurrence.
Notably, last year, former principal of the medical college, Sandip Ghosh, was accused of tampering with the crime scene after an official letter signed by him and dated August 10 had surfaced online, directing 'urgent' renovations in every department of the hospital.
Concerns were also raised around the police probe when a video had surfaced online capturing a crowd at the crime scene after the body was found. The police had later clarified that 'a 40-foot area' around the victim's body had been cordoned off, but the victim's parents had contested their claims.
While civic volunteer Sanjay Roy was pronounced guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for the doctor's rape and murder in January this year, the parents had petitioned the Calcutta High Court for further investigation into the case.
In an earlier conversation with The Hindu, the family had expressed their dissatisfaction with the CBI's ongoing probe into the case.
Renewed protest march on one-year mark
The victim's parents also said on Monday (July 7, 2025) that they would 'definitely be present' at the 'Nabanna Abhiyan' (march to State Secretariat) rally against the State government on August 9, 2025. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, after meeting them last week, said he would 'participate in the protest without flags' and 'make all efforts to make the movement successful'.
August 9 would mark one year since the unfortunate incident. Additionally, activists have given a call to re-initiate 'Reclaim The Night' protests on August 14, one year since its inception on the same day last year.
'We will also attend the Reclaim The Night protest that is being organised on August 14, like last year. We will try to cover as many locations as possible,' the bereaved father said.
Last year, on August 14 and subsequently on other nights, women's rights organisations had organised massive 'Reclaim The Night' protests late at night across the State, urging people, especially women, to leave their homes and march for the right to navigate public spaces safely after dark.
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