Clashes mark RG Kar rape case anniv; victim’s parents injured

Kolkata saw dramatic clashes on Saturday as rallies marking the first anniversary of the brutal rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Medical College devolved into confrontations between protesters and the police, leaving the victim’s parents hospitalised and sparking sharp political exchanges.

On August 9 last year, the 26-year-old doctor’s body was found in the hospital’s seminar room with multiple injuries. The case was transferred to the CBI, leading to the conviction and life imprisonment of civic volunteer Sanjay Roy in January. However, the family alleges that a larger conspiracy remains uninvestigated.

The victim’s parents led a “Nabanna Abhiyan” march to the state secretariat, accompanied by BJP leaders and numerous supporters demanding CM Mamata Banerjee’s resignation over failures to protect women. The police had earlier denied permission for the march, citing law and order concerns, and offered alternate venues, but protesters attempted to breach barricades at multiple points.

At Park Street crossing, the police baton-charged after agitators allegedly tried to push through, sparking a scuffle in which the victim’s mother claimed she was shoved to the ground, her forehead injured and her bangles broken. “The police could not save my daughter, but they didn’t think twice about beating women and the elderly,” she said before being moved to a private hospital.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari called off the protest after the mother’s hospitalisation. The day also saw a TMC trade union office on JL Nehru Road allegedly vandalised, with posters of Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee torn and fan blades twisted. TMC leaders blamed BJP’s youth wing for the damage, vowing a counter-protest.

TMC’s social media cell head Debanshu Bhattacharya accused the BJP of “trapping” the victim’s parents in “narrow and dirty politics,” while state minister Sashi Panja accused the party of disrupting Raksha Bandhan celebrations and “trying to divide society.”