A divide has emerged within West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the handling of the rape and murder case of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and protests in Kolkata and beyond, putting the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her TMC under intense scrutiny.
The controversy centers around the demand made by senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and the college’s former principal, Sandip Ghosh. Ray, who has been vocal about the case, believes that custodial interrogation is necessary to uncover the truth, particularly regarding the spread of a suicide narrative. He highlighted several questions that require investigation, including the delay in using sniffer dogs at the crime scene.
However, Ray’s demand has been met with strong opposition from other TMC leaders, including Kunal Ghosh, the party spokesperson. Ghosh, while also demanding justice for the victim, strongly opposed Ray’s demand regarding the police commissioner, arguing that Goyal did his best to investigate the case within 12 hours, leading to the arrest of the main accused, Sanjoy Roy.
Ghosh asserted that the investigation was proceeding positively and that the police were conducting further interrogations. He characterized Ray’s demand as illogical and unfortunate, especially coming from a senior party leader.
The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognizance of the case, scheduling a hearing on August 20 to address the alleged rape and murder incident and related issues. This development underscores the gravity of the case and its potential to have significant political ramifications in West Bengal.
