Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, the lawyer representing the parents of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital, alleged that the Trinamool Congress had infiltrated the protestors with goons.
Senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya
Days after a mob vandalized Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in response to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, the lawyer representing the victim’s family, has accused the Mamata Banerjee-led state government of orchestrating the attack.
In an interview with India Today TV, Bhattacharya alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) planted goons among the protesters who had gathered to express outrage over the crime. He claimed these infiltrators ransacked the government-run hospital to “scare and disperse the protesters” and to “destroy evidence.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had initially blamed opposition parties for the vandalism and mob violence at the hospital. However, there are claims that some of the 37 individuals arrested in connection with the incident are TMC members.
Among those detained is a 24-year-old gym instructor, Souvik Das, who admitted to participating in the attack but said he was caught up in the emotional surge of the moment.
Criticizing the Kolkata Police’s handling of the investigation, Bhattacharya suggested that the police’s approach was a key factor in the Calcutta High Court’s decision to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He told India Today TV, “The Kolkata Police’s investigation was poorly managed. Initially, the hospital administration told the victim’s family that their daughter was ill, but soon after, they reported her death as a suicide. There were doctors at the hospital—how could none of them identify whether it was a suicide or a murder? It seems the investigation was not conducted properly.”
Bhattacharya also criticized attempts to quickly cremate the victim’s body, which he argued is crucial evidence in such cases. “The Kolkata Police claimed that the family cremated the body, but this happened later. Intervention from student leaders like Minakshi from DYFI led to a proper investigation,” he said. “The initial attempt to cremate the body raises serious questions about the handling of the case.”
