R G Kar rape-murder: Mamata says 'not satisfied' with life imprisonment given to convict Sanjay Roy

Banerjee questioned the CBI investigation in the case. 'The case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he was served a death sentence', she said.

Kolkata: Expressing displeasure over the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was not satisfied with the life imprisonment awarded to the convict Sanjay Roy by a court on Monday.

The ruling Trinamool Congress’ main challenger in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, demanded a probe into the collusion between the chief minister and the then commissioner of Kolkata Police, Vineet Goyal, for their alleged role in the destruction of evidence in the case.

“I am not satisfied. Had he (Sanjay Roy) been awarded the death penalty, at least my heart would have been somewhat at peace,” Banerjee said shortly after Additional District and Sessions Judge, Anirban Das, pronounced the quantum of punishment for the convict, a member of the contractual support staff of Kolkata Police.

“We don’t know how the probe was conducted. In many similar cases, which were probed by the state police, death penalty for the convicts was ensured,” said the chief minister.

Banerjee’s government and her Trinamool Congress were in a tight spot for several weeks as the August 9, 2024, rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor triggered widespread protests, not only by medics but also by civil society activists, professionals, cultural activists and film and theatre personalities, in addition to her party’s political rivals – the BJP and the CPI(M).

The Calcutta High Court on August 13 handed over the probe to the CBI as the Kolkata Police was criticised for "failure" to conduct the probe fairly, although it had arrested Roy, a member of its contractual support staff, for raping and murdering the doctor just a day after her body was found.

“From day one, all of us had demanded death sentence, but the court has given life term until death. We still stick to our demands. I can share my party's opinion; the case was forcibly taken away from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he got death sentence," Banerjee told journalists in Murshidabad on Monday.

She cited some other recent rape and murder cases probed by the state police and underlined that the convicts in all those cases were awarded death sentence by the courts.

Though the CBI had pleaded for death penalty for Roy, Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das on Monday noted that the case "was not the rarest of the rare cases" and that was why the convict could not be awarded capital punishment.

“Justice will never be served unless the West Bengal Chief Minister is voted out of power and the collusion between the then Commissioner of Kolkata Police and Mamata Banerjee is thoroughly investigated. The court order has also highlighted several instances relating to the destruction of evidence,” said the BJP’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, assigned to oversee the party’s affairs in West Bengal.

“We cannot let Mamata Banerjee get away with this. This is exactly what she wanted—destroy evidence, set up someone pliable to take the blame, and protect influential individuals, linked to the TMC, who were responsible for this gruesome crime.”