Kolkata:

The parents of the Kolkata doctor who was brutally raped and murdered last month have alleged that the police tried to bribe them initially to suppress the case. The incident took place while the doctor was on night shift and has led to massive protests across the state, demanding swift action.

The parents of the 31-year-old joined the protest at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where their daughter’s body was found on August 9, and accused the police of allegedly trying to close the case without a thorough investigation.

“The police, from the very beginning, tried to hush up the case. We were not allowed to see the body and had to wait at the police station while the body was taken for post-mortem examinations,” the father said while addressing the protesters.

“Later, when the body was handed over to us, a senior police official offered us money, which we immediately declined,” he added.

The parents said that are joining the protest to support the junior doctors fighting for justice for their daughter.

Kolkata Police has come under strong criticism from the Opposition as well as citizens for its handling of the sensitive case. Questions have been raised on how the accused Sanjoy Roy had unfettered access to every corner of the state-run hospital at all times of the day. Some reports have also said he would illegally arrange hospital beds and other facilities for patients in exchange for money.

Slogans targeting cops and reminding them that they have daughters at home too have been doing the rounds on social media and finding a place on placards carried by protesters during street marches.

Amid outrage, the Calcutta High Court ordered that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On Monday, the CBI arrested the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, Dr Sandip Ghosh, in connection with alleged financial misconduct at the establishment.

The West Bengal Assembly this week also passed an anti-rape bill seeking capital punishment for rape convicts if their actions result in the victim’s death or leave her in a vegetative state.

Kolkata:

A man was allegedly beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of theft, police said on Sunday. The victim, identified as Azgar Mollah, was a resident of Phulbari in Bhangar police station area in South 24 Parganas district, around 30km from here.

“Local residents found the accused unconscious and alerted police, who rushed him to a nearby hospital. Doctors declared him brought dead,” a police officer said.

The family of the deceased did not file a police complaint, declined to allow a post-mortem, and took the body away, the officer added.

“We have initiated a suo motu case and detained two persons after reviewing CCTV footage in the area. It showed that the deceased was badly beaten up by a mob,” the officer said.

This incident follows a series of similar incidents across the state over the past few days.

On June 28, a man was beaten to death at a state-run hostel for students in central Kolkata’s Bowbazar area over suspicion of mobile phone theft.

A day later, another person was thrashed to death by a group in the Salt Lake area on the same suspicion. Two others also died in other districts after being assaulted by mobs. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)