The parents of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 met BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday and later said they wanted the street protests seeking justice for their daughter to continue.
Adhikari promised them “cooperation”, the slain doctor’s father said.
Apart from Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, the parents of the 31-year-old rape-murder victim met Nawsad Siddiqui, the lone MLA from the India Secular Front, on the Assembly premises.
“To sustain protests, we need cooperation from many people. The street protests are needed to keep pressure on the authorities so justice is delivered. We are still waiting for justice,” the doctor’s father told The Telegraph on Monday evening.
“Adhikari has promised cooperation.”
The ongoing CBI probe into the rape and murder was not discussed at the meeting with Adhikari, the father said. “The meeting happened because of the willingness of both sides. We did not discuss the CBI probe.”
Earlier, while speaking to reporters on the Assembly premises, the father said they had faith in the CBI.
“The CBI has spoken about a deep conspiracy. It will take some time to unearth this. We have no links with politics.”
BJP leader Sajal Ghosh accompanied the couple to the Assembly premises.
Adhikari said BJP MLAs are committed to taking the fight to the people. “The parents told us to fight for justice by uniting people. We are making a commitment that we will take this to the people. We will not allow people to forget this heinous crime,” he said.
The doctor’s mother said: “I used to tell my daughter, give me a call once you are inside the hospital and I will know you are safe. I thought the hospital was a safe place. Why did she suffer so much? What crime did my daughter commit that she was killed so brutally?
“It has been over 100 days. We still don’t know what exactly happened to our daughter that night or who all were involved in this crime.”
Calcutta and many other parts of the state were rocked by protests following the rape and murder. There were also allegations about a tug-of-war between two Opposition camps in the state — Left and the BJP — over who would be at the forefront of the protests.
Junior doctors across medical colleges in the state went on a 49-day strike after the crime. Some of them also sat on a hunger strike.
The parents of the deceased doctor have joined many street protests. The parents had also urged the junior doctors to continue their protests even after they called off their hunger strike.
According to many, what started as an agitation seeking justice for the slain doctor turned into a pettytussle among various factions of doctors over the controlof the state-run healthcare system.
A junior doctor, who was one of the faces of the protests over the rape and murder, said on Tuesday it was up to the slain doctor’s parents to decide who they would approach.
“As bereaved parents, they can approach anyone to get justice for their daughter,” the doctor said.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front will announce more protests, he said. “Exams are due in the medical colleges.... We will soon announce some protests,” he said.
Additional reporting by Saibal Gupta
