The scale of the discomfort in Bengal’s ruling dispensation over the RG Kar atrocity and the backlash against it burst dramatically into the open on Sunday, with senior Trinamool leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray being summoned by police over a late-night post on X.

The 75-year-old, three-term Rajya Sabha member, editor of Trinamool’s Bengali mouthpiece Jago Bangla and a revered figure in the party, had demanded custodial interrogation of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and the now-removed RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh by the CBI.

Responding to questions from this newspaper, Ray remained defiant.

“Whatever I have done… I have done as an upright citizen of India. My country’s Constitution has given its citizens the fundamental right of the freedom of expression, and also certain fundamental duties… so I have tried to meet both,” he said.

“No power on earth will be able to derail me from the path of seeking justice. Like millions of people around the world seeking justice over the RG Kar incident — the gang rape… the gang rape, followed by the gruesome murder — and security for each and every woman of this country, including Bengal,” Ray added.

Trinamool Congress supporters hold a dharna near the Curzon Gate in Burdwan on Sunday demanding justice for the junior doctor.  Picture by Munshi Muklesur Rahaman

Asked whether he had spoken to either of the top two in Trinamool — chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee — since the post or the summons, Ray shot back: “No, why should I? Why should I? Why should I?”

Asked if either of them had reached out to him, he said: “No no, no.”

In his post, made at 12.19am on Sunday, Ray had written: “CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of Ex Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story.”

He had added: “Why wall of hall demolished, who patronised Roy (sic) to be so powerful, why sniffer dog used after 3 days. 100s of such questions. Make them speak.”

At 1pm, Ray received a WhatsApp summons from the cyber cell of Kolkata Police asking him to appear at Lalbazar by 4pm.

“Whatever is written (in the post), I have written… thik achhey (all right)? I was taken aback that I had received a notice from the cyber cell of Lalbazar, that a case had been registered on August 17, although my post was made on August 18,” he said.

He said he had sought a few days’ time to appear at Lalbazar, given his affliction with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) coupled with a recent attack of bronchitis. He has a pacemaker installed too.

Ray WhatsApped to the police three prescriptions from senior physicians of AIIMS, New Delhi, and SSKM Hospital, Calcutta, with details of the treatment he had undergone there since the last week of July.

“At 4.55pm, they sent me another WhatsApp message, asking me to appear by 5.30pm…. Simply to reach Lalbazar from my Jodhpur Park residence, it takes more time,” Ray said.

“I told them that it appeared they did not accept the medical grounds and the medical advice from the premier institutions, and deliberately failed to meet my request for three-four days to comply.”

He added: “No response to that yet.”

Several Trinamool leaders said Ray’s post had rubbed salt into the ruling dispensation’s wounds by virtually echoing what the Opposition – especially the BJP -- has been saying to bolster its demand for Mamata’s resignation as chief minister (she also handles the home and health portfolios).

“What he did amounts to directly challenging Mamata Banerjee,” aTrinamool insider said.

He added that Mamata was “very annoyed” with Ray’s post, and there was a strong likelihood of consequences.

The supreme leadership fielded Kunal Ghosh to counter Ray. “I too demand justice in the RG Kar case. But I strongly oppose this demand regarding the commissioner…. This post was unfortunate, that too from our senior leader,” Ghosh said.

Earlier this week, Trinamool had acted against former Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen, removing him from certain posts, following his criticism of Sandip Ghosh and the way healthcare was being run in the state, which was viewed as a direct challenge to Mamata.

Ray had earlier publicly supported the Reclaim the Night movement and, after being told by the leadership not to participate in the midnight vigil, took part in a separate, three-hour demonstration demanding justice forthe victim.

“Why he suddenly went off the rails remains unclear,” a fellow Rajya Sabhamember said.

A senior Trinamool leader said the rumblings within were not limited to a handful, such as Ray and Sen, and that countless others on the middle to senior rungs harboured reservations about the authorities’ handling of the RG Kar atrocity and its fallout.

A party insider said that key sections of the leadership were unhappy about Mamata’s political counteroffensive, and believed that the people were not taking kindly to this.

“Even our national general secretary (Abhishek Banerjee) is very unhappy with what is happening in the government and at the party end. That is why he has distanced himself from this completely,” a source close to the Diamond Harbour MP said.

“During such a crisis, we needed him to lead the fire-fight. But he is fed up with his advice falling on deaf ears.”

He added: “There is unlikely to be a big, adverse electoral impact as the protests remain confined largely to urban, semi-urban and peri-urban centres, with little reach beyond the middle and upper classes.They do not determine electoral outcomes in Bengal.

“But having said that, Abhishek believes this rot must be stemmed now, with drastic, exemplary measures. She doesn’t agree.”