'I lost my daughter, Mamata lost her chair': R G Kar victim's mother after meeting CM Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata: BJP MLA Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat on Monday and later took a swipe at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee over her loss in the Assembly polls.

In a post on social media, the Panihati legislator said she met CM Adhikari at the 14th floor of the state secretariat and contrasted her own loss with Banerjee's political defeat.

On the intervening night of August 8 and 9, 2024, Debnath's daughter, a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee resident doctor on duty, was raped, tortured and murdered inside the seminar room of the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

There have been allegations that evidence was destroyed and attempts were made to downplay the incident in its immediate aftermath.

Following the sweeping defeat of the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal elections, the BJP government announced the case would be expedited and that justice would be served.

In the social media post, Debnath said, "Today I am on the 14th floor of Nabanna in a meeting with the chief minister. His name is Suvendu Adhikari. The power of honesty is immense. One only needs to patiently fight against injustice."

"Today, both Mamata (Banerjee) and I are bereaved. I have lost my only daughter and have dedicated myself to serving people. She has lost her chair on the 14th floor," she said.

The newly elected MLA also said that the former chief minister and her "team" would face a "more tragic outcome". "Wait and watch," she said.

The Calcutta High Court last week ordered setting up a three-member special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI to probe the developments from the time the R G Kar Medical College's trainee doctor had dinner on the ill-fated night of August 2024 to her cremation.

The young medic's rape and murder had caused an uproar in the state as well as among the doctors' community across the country.

Debnath has repeatedly alleged that several individuals were directly and indirectly involved in the crime and that not all suspects had come under the purview of investigation.

According to sources, she had earlier written to Chief Minister Adhikari in a sealed communication, seeking action against individuals she believed should be investigated in connection with the case.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Debnath said that despite becoming an MLA, "all happiness" had disappeared from her life and her only goal was to secure justice for her daughter.

"I may have become an MLA, but all the joy has gone from my life. My only objective is justice. The names I submitted to the chief minister had earlier also been shared with investigators," she said.

She and her husband had repeatedly criticised the previous TMC government and police over the handling of the case. During the recent election campaign, the TMC had accused Debnath of using objectionable language against Mamata Banerjee and had complained to the Election Commission.

Adhikari has ordered departmental inquiries against IPS officers Vineet Goyal, Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta, all of whom held key positions during the RG Kar episode. They have been suspended pending inquiry.