The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday denied allegations by the family of a woman doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered in Kolkata, dismissing claims of a police cover-up.
The TMC insisted that a newly surfaced video contradicts the family’s accusations by showing them expressing "satisfaction" with the investigation earlier.
The parents of the deceased, however, vehemently refuted this, alleging that the video was forcibly recorded by the police shortly after their daughter's cremation.
They claimed that the authorities were trying to suppress the case by hastily conducting the cremation and manipulating evidence.
The controversy erupted as the grieving family joined protesting doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday night, demanding justice.
The doctors have been on a cease work since the incident, condemning the alleged police inaction and calling for a fair probe.
TMC shows evidence
Responding to the accusations, senior TMC leader and minister Shashi Panja, during a press conference at the party office, showcased a video of the victim's parents purportedly denying any bribery attempts by the police.
“A video went viral yesterday where it is claimed that a police official offered money to the parents in the aftermath of the incident. Another video has appeared in the public domain, where the parents clearly stated that such claims are lies and they only want justice for their daughter,” Panja said.
The authenticity of the video, however, could not be independently verified by PTI. In the clip, the parents are seen denying any offers of money from the police.
Panja appealed for an end to politicisation, stating, “We cannot imagine the pain of the grieving parents. The incident is extremely unfortunate and saddening, and we have all been demanding justice for the victim. But, there shouldn't be politics here. We want to humbly appeal that there should be no political pressure on the parents to do anything.”
Family rebuts TMC’s claims
Within an hour of the TMC's press conference, the victim's family, speaking to a Bengali news channel, asserted that the video shown by the TMC was recorded under "duress" by the police.
“The video was shot by the police just days after the incident took place and we were forced to participate. The truth is that the police tried to hush up the case and attempted to protect (former) RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh,” a family member told the news channel.
The family further alleged that the Kolkata Police were attempting to protect influential figures involved in the case and sought a transparent investigation by an independent agency.
Accusations of political exploitation
Panja accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of exploiting the tragic incident for political gains rather than genuinely seeking justice. She pointed out that during the recent debate on the anti-rape Bill in the West Bengal Assembly, a BJP legislator had demanded immediate justice for the victim’s family.
"Recently, the West Bengal assembly passed the historic anti-rape bill. While debating the bill, a BJP legislator said that justice should be immediately meted out to the victim's family and that the CBI would not be spared if there were any delays," the minister said.
She claimed that the BJP, along with other opposition parties, was deliberately fuelling distress among the victim’s parents for their own political advantage. "This is deeply affecting the sentiments of the medic’s parents," she said.
Panja condemned the spread of “fake” videos on social media, alleging that they were being disseminated by the BJP's IT cell.
She also called for swift and exemplary punishment for the culprits and criticised the sharing of the post-mortem report online, terming it an injustice to the victim.
"The CBI should expedite the probe," she added.
“When everyone is crying for justice, including the Trinamool Congress, politics should not come into play. We want speedy justice and exemplary punishment for the culprit or culprits," Panja said.
TMC questions CBI’s role
West Bengal Education Minister and senior TMC leader Bratya Basu echoed Panja's sentiments, questioning the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) handling of the case.
He pointed out that despite the Kolkata Police handing over all relevant documents to the CBI 23 days ago, there had been no significant progress or communication from the agency.
He also questioned the CBI’s “lack of transparency” and the BJP’s claims of evidence tampering. "The BJP has been saying that evidence has been tampered with. We want to know what evidence? Why this silence on the part of the CBI?" he asked.
BJP's response?
The West Bengal BJP hit back at the TMC, accusing the state government of attempting a cover-up.
"The TMC government has done everything to cover up this. The family's statement has exposed the TMC and the police," BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya claimed.
The death of the doctor on August 9 has sparked nationwide protests, and the agitation by junior doctors continues.
Panja expressed support for the protesting doctors, describing their stance as justified but urged them to return to work soon.
"The agitation by the doctors is justified and should be treated with empathy. Surely, they will get back to work when they feel that the time has come for them," she added.
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