KOLKATA, Jan 20: Expressing “dissatisfaction” over a Kolkata court awarding life imprisonment to the convict in the RG Kar hospital case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed the probe was “forcibly” taken away from the state police, asserting that had it been with them, they would have ensured a death penalty.
Speaking to reporters in Murshidabad district, Banerjee also criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its probe into the rape-murder of the on-duty medic at the state-run hospital.
“From day 1, all of us had demanded death sentence, but the court has given life term until death. We still stick to our demand. I can share my party’s opinion; the case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he got death sentence,” the CM said.
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“We don’t know how the probe was conducted. In many similar cases that were probed by the state police, death penalty was ensured. I am not satisfied… Had it been death penalty, at least my heart would have been somewhat at peace,” she said.
The Sealdah court, presided by Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das, on Monday sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment, after convicting him for the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.
The ghastly crime had led to unprecedented and prolonged nationwide protests.
Judge Das ruled that the crime did not meet the criteria for the “rarest of the rare” category, which would have warranted the death penalty.
The chief minister emphasised the severity of the case, stating, “If the verdict had been a death sentence, it would have provided some comfort to our hearts.”
The crime warranted the “most severe punishment”, Banerjee asserted.
“In the three cases we handled — Jaynagar, Farakka, and Guralp — our police successfully secured death sentences (through proper investigation and filing of chargesheet),” she pointed out, referring to similar rape and murder cases investigated by local authorities.
“The (RG Kar) case was forcibly taken away from us, and I don’t know how the CBI fought the case or what arguments they made. It was all managed by the CBI. We want the most severe punishment for such criminals,” Banerjee added. (PTI)
