7 months passed, yet to get daughter’s death certificate: Father of RG Kar victim

Kolkata:The father of the RG Kar hospital rape and murder victim on Thursday claimed that though over seven months have passed after the incident, the parents are yet to get the death certificate of their daughter and have been running from pillar to post for it.

The father of the deceased post-graduate trainee alleged officials of the Swasthya Bhavan (health department headquarters), the hospital and Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s borough concerned are not cooperating with them.

The 31-year-old on-duty medic was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 last year, triggering nationwide outrage.

"We have not yet got the death certificate of my daughter. We are being harassed by the officials at various departments whenever we go for the certificate. They are telling us that giving the death certificate is against the rules," the father told PTI.

He said that it seems neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is also the health minister, nor Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has any clue about this.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also questioned the delay in providing the document to the parents of ‘Abhaya’, the name given to the rape and murder victim by the media.

"Abhaya was cremated (in a hush-hush manner by the TMC Leaders & Kolkata Police) on August 09, 2024. Strangely, her parents haven't yet got hold of her Death Certificate. They are running from pillar to post,” he said in a post on X.

The BJP leader alleged that the authorities are using a technical issue in not giving them the document.

The Swasthya Bhavan, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and RG Kar Medical College & Hospital are “compelling them to go on an endless pursuit from one office to another and from one table to another", he asserted.

"I would like to ask Health Minister Mamata Banerjee and KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim not to further harass her parents and see to it that they encounter no further obstacles while obtaining their daughter's death certificate," Adhikari said in the post.

He also urged the CBI to look into the reason behind the delay.

The CBI carried out the investigation into the rape-murder case on an order of the Calcutta High Court.

A civic volunteer, named Sanjay Roy, was convicted by the trial court in the case and sentenced him to life imprisonment till death.