 "'Kolkata police would've ensured death penalty': Mamata Banerjee slams CBI for RG Kar verdict (WATCH)")
synopsis
In a fiery criticism, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for wresting control of the harrowing case involving the rape and murder of a trainee doctor from Kolkata Police.
In a fiery criticism, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for wresting control of the harrowing case involving the rape and murder of a trainee doctor from Kolkata Police. The tragic incident occurred at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year.
"The case was forcibly taken from Kolkata Police, had it been with them, it would have ensured the death sentence," Banerjee asserted, expressing her dissatisfaction with the life imprisonment handed down to the accused, Sanjay Roy.
On Monday, a Kolkata court convicted Roy under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including rape, murder, and causing death, but stopped short of awarding the death penalty. Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das ruled the crime did not meet the "rarest of the rare" criteria, sentencing Roy to life imprisonment instead.
The verdict triggered widespread dismay, with Banerjee calling for capital punishment. "All of us demanded death sentence but the court gave life imprisonment," she lamented.
The court also directed the West Bengal government to compensate the victim’s family with ₹17 lakh, comprising ₹10 lakh for her death and ₹7 lakh for the sexual assault. "Since the victim died while on duty in the hospital, her place of work, it is the responsibility of the state to pay compensation to the family of the doctor," the judge remarked.
National outrage and allegations of lax investigation
The horrific crime sent shockwaves across the country, igniting protests and drawing sharp criticism of the judicial and investigative processes. Rekha Sharma, former chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) and current Rajya Sabha MP, voiced her discontent, blaming investigative lapses for the perceived leniency of the verdict.
"It is very unfortunate. I think the investigations done by Kolkata Police were presented in front of the CBI, and because of the shortcomings in the investigation, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment and not the death penalty," Sharma said. She further castigated the judiciary, stating, "It is the insensitivity of the judges that such a huge case was not called rarest of the rare."
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