Kolkata: West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday alleged that the parents of the trainee doctor, who was reportedly raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital, are being kept under virtual “house arrest” by the authorities.
“I met the family of the deceased doctor at their home and had a lengthy conversation with them. The police have essentially placed the family under house arrest, not allowing them to leave their residence under various pretexts. A barricade has been set up around them by the police and the CISF seems unaware of the situation,” Chowdhury told reporters.
Chowdhury alleges police pressure
Chowdhury’s visit took place as junior doctors continue to protest and the victim’s parents allege that multiple people were involved in the crime. He also accused the police, acting on directives from the TMC-led West Bengal government, of offering money to the victim’s father and pressuring him to conduct the cremation quickly. “The Kolkata Police following the directive of the state government had offered the father money while telling him that the body of his daughter be cremated without delay,” Chowdhury alleged, as per a Hindustan Times report.
Junior doctors’ strike
The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, sparking widespread outrage among the state’s medical community. In response, junior doctors have been on a cease-work strike, demanding justice for their colleague and pushing for enhanced security at medical institutions. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticised the police for blocking his attempt to meet the protesting doctors during his visit to the RG Kar Hospital.
“I went there as a common person and not as a political leader, to express solidarity with them (the protesting doctors). But I was stopped from meeting them by the police… Had they shown this promptness earlier, our sister doctor would not have met this fate,” he said. A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police has been arrested in connection with the crime, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the investigation following a directive from the Calcutta High Court.
