KOLKATA: The family, neighbors, and doctors connected to the RG Kar rape-murder case expressed their deep anguish and disappointment on Friday after a Sealdah court granted default bail to former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh and former Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mandal. The bail was granted due to the CBI’s failure to file a charge sheet within the legally mandated 90-day period.
The victim’s mother said, “I am deeply disappointed by this development. We have nothing left to say. Since the CBI could not file a charge sheet within 90 days, they were granted bail. What else can I say?” She added, “I am not the CBI. Otherwise, I would have done the job myself.”
A family member expressed the heartbreak felt by the victim’s parents, noting that the CBI’s failure had left them “deeply disheartened.” “We feel that all our efforts and protests demanding justice for our daughter might have gone in vain. We don’t have any more options,” the father lamented.
Neighbors from the Sodepur locality, where the victim lived, also shared their discontent over the decision. “The parents have lost their only daughter. They can never get her back. But justice for this heinous crime is crucial. That’s why there have been protests. However, the court’s decision to grant bail to Ghosh and Mandal seems to have made all those efforts futile,” a local resident said.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), which had led protests demanding justice, voiced their frustration. “We wanted a court-monitored CBI inquiry. The corruption at RG Kar and the former principal’s role in it are well known. But how could the CBI fail to submit a charge sheet after 90 days?” asked Aniket Mahata of WBJDF.
The junior doctors also pointed out the contrast in other cases, saying they were glad to see progress in cases like Kultali and Farakka. “But in the RG Kar case, powerful people are involved. Is this the reason for the delay in justice? It is shameful that a major agency like the CBI failed to submit a charge sheet within 90 days,” said Asfakulla Naiya of WBJDF. The organization held a meeting on Friday night to plan their next steps, following a prayer session at RG Kar.
“We are shocked and outraged by the court’s decision,” said Sajal Biswas, general secretary of the Service Doctors Forum. “Even after 90 days, the CBI could not file a charge sheet against Ghosh and Mandal. We believe the state, CBI, and central government are conspiring to protect the accused,” added Biplab Chandra, state secretary of the Medical Service Centre.
