RG Kar Verdict: TMC Leaders Say CM Mamata, Police 'Vindicated', Claim Political Efforts To 'Mislead' Public

West Bengal's ruling TMC called for the death penalty for Sanjay Roy following the guilty verdict in the RG Kar medical college rape and murder case. The TMC condemned the attempts to politicise the probe.

File Photo of TMC leader Kunal Ghosh

Source : PTI

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has expressed strong support for the conviction of Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer found guilty in the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The TMC has called for the death penalty to be imposed, emphasising that it would set a strong precedent. The ruling party's leaders also stressed the verdict as a vindication of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Kolkata police.

A trial court in Sealdah convicted Roy on Saturday for raping and murdering the on-duty doctor at the state-run hospital on August 9. The court is expected to announce the sentence on Monday.

Senior TMC Member of Parliament Sougata Roy told news agency PTI, “The ruling must be followed by the harshest punishment possible for Roy. This will not only serve as a warning to others who think they can get away with lawlessness but also restore people's faith in the system. We need to ensure that such actions are met with the strongest deterrent.”

Kunal Ghosh, another senior TMC leader, condemned the attempts to politicise the investigation, which, according to him, were made to serve vested political interests. "We have said repeatedly that the RG Kar incident is horrific and condemnable. The Chief Minister herself condemned it in the strongest words and demanded the death penalty for the culprit. Kolkata Police arrested the perpetrator within 24 hours," he asserted.

Ghosh continued, "We denounced the incident from the very beginning. However, a section of people tried to spread misinformation and mislead the public to fulfil their political and personal interests. In three similar cases after RG Kar, the state police acted swiftly, and the perpetrators were given capital punishment. We want the death penalty for this convict as well."

Commenting on the court's verdict, Ghosh told ANI, "The Court has pronounced him guilty. The punishment is yet to be announced. Commenting on it right now is not appropriate, but it is proven that the arrest that the Kolkata Police made within 24 hours, their focus and investigation was accurate." When asked about the accused's denial of involvement in the murder, Ghosh refrained from commenting, stating, "I will not comment on this."

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On Sealdah Court pronouncing accused Sanjay Roy guilty in the RG Kar case, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh says, "... The Court has pronounced him guilty. The punishment is yet to be announced. Commenting on it right now is not appropriate but it is proven… pic.twitter.com/gXpjQHHSvd

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2025

Terming the verdict as 'vindication', TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar told PTI, "There were many political narratives but if you separate political narratives out of the legal process, then this verdict was expected. As I told you yesterday, there were many twist and turns in the last five months. Once that gruesome murder occurred, after this heinous crime, what Mamata Banerjee said within 24 hours about what should be the process of investigation and arranging the investigation by Kolkata Police, which was later transferred to the CBI; eventually the whole process has vindicated the stand of Mamata Banerjee and her police." 

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On Sealdah Court pronouncing accused Sanjay Roy guilty in the RG Kar case, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh says, "... The Court has pronounced him guilty. The punishment is yet to be announced. Commenting on it right now is not appropriate but it is proven… pic.twitter.com/gXpjQHHSvd

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2025

RG Kar Rape & Murder Case: Sanjay Roy Convicted As Guilty

Sanjay Roy was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 103(1) carries a possible punishment of death or life imprisonment. The court ruled that Roy had sexually assaulted the doctor and strangled her to death, with the CBI successfully proving all charges against him.

The incident sparked nationwide protests, with medical professionals taking to the streets to demand justice for the postgraduate trainee doctor and better security at state-run hospitals. Roy was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, a day after the crime, and the Calcutta High Court subsequently handed over the investigation to the CBI. The CBI later sought the death penalty for Roy.

The trial, which began on November 12, concluded on January 9 after recording the testimonies of 50 witnesses. Opposition parties, including the BJP and CPI(M), have criticised the Mamata Banerjee government over the handling of the investigation by the Kolkata Police.