Kolkata: As the brutal sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor sparked outrage across West Bengal, the BJP on Saturday demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
Union Minister of State and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said the injury marks on the victim suggested involvement of more than one person in the henious crime.
The body of the woman doctor was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar hospital in north Kolkata on Friday. A preliminary autopsy report has confirmed sexual abuse before she was killed, police said.
Police arrested one person for his alleged involvement in the sexual assault and murder of the trainee doctor at the state-run hospital, a senior officer said, adding that arrested youth, an outsider, had free access to the different departments of the hospital.
Majumdar said, "The arrest of a person could be an eye wash. Only a CBI probe can uncover the entire truth and deliver justice for the young woman, who was on the verge of a promising future." Majumdar, along with party state general secretary Agnimitra Paul, was stopped by senior officials of the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate while en route to the victim’s residence. This led to a heated exchange with police.
The state BJP chief criticised police for their delayed response, suggesting that they initially tried to pass off the case as a suicide and only acted after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intervened. He questioned whether police need to be prompted by the CM to investigate serious incidents.
CPI(M) state Secretary Md Salim dismissed the police investigation as inadequate and expressed skepticism about a CBI probe under the BJP-led central government, suggesting it might have a covert alignment with the ruling TMC. He called for a high-level judicial inquiry instead.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh expressed surprise at the ongoing protests, stating that while protests are understandable, the Chief Minister’s willingness to accept an external probe and her commitment to seeking the death penalty for the accused should address concerns.
Ghosh urged against further politicisation of the issue, noting, "The CM has made it clear that if the charges are proved, police will seek death penalty, so there should be no further politicisation of this matter."