Kolkata, March 23: Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, confirmed on Monday that the parents of the victim in the RG Kar Medical College case have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, he noted that the party leadership has yet to decide whether any of them will be fielded as candidates from the Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas.
The BJP has released two lists of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections next month, but has not yet announced its candidate for Panihati. Adhikari stated on Monday night that the decision on whether a family member of the victim will be nominated from Panihati will be made by the party’s central leadership. The state committee has submitted its opinion on the matter to the central leadership, which he cannot disclose at this time. The final decision now rests with the party’s central leadership.
It is noteworthy that the victim, a female doctor, was found dead on the morning of August 9, 2024, on the RG Kar campus. Kolkata Police initiated an investigation into the case and arrested Sanjay Roy, the sole accused, who was a former civic volunteer with the city police.
Subsequently, following an order from the Calcutta High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation and identified Roy as the only accused in the crime of rape and murder. Later, a lower court in Kolkata sentenced Roy to life imprisonment, after which the CBI challenged this order in the Calcutta High Court, seeking the death penalty for Roy.