RG Kar rape victim's parents question bail to ex-principal: 'should have been sentenced to life imprisonment'

The parents of the RG Kar rape-murder victim on Saturday questioned the bail granted to former hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in a corruption case, while two citizens' groups announced a protest march to the CBI office demanding accountability in the case.

The proposed march on November 12, organised by 'Voice of Abhaya' and 'Voice of Women', citizen groups, will begin at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, with the organisers appealing to citizens, particularly women, to join the demonstration.

The groups urged people not to lose hope and called on the CBI to act on the evidence in the case.

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"We appeal to citizens from all sections of society, especially women, to come out on the streets on November 12 and show that they do not have to depend on any government to get their demands fulfilled. Let the CBI know that despite attempts to destroy, withhold or suppress evidence, people are still protesting and are on the streets. There is no room for despair," one of the organisers said.

Meanwhile, the deceased postgraduate doctor's mother, Ratna Debnath, who is also a BJP MLA, expressed anger over Ghosh's bail and questioned why those present with her daughter in the hours before her death had not been arrested.

"If everyone had been arrested at the time instead of allowing evidence to be destroyed, the situation might have been different. In every case, the last-seen theory is examined. Those present with my daughter must be questioned. The doctors have said that she died between midnight and 6 am. Who was with her during that period? Why have they not been arrested? Is it because they are doctors? My daughter was also a doctor," she said.

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The bereaved mother also demanded action against those she alleged had ordered the destruction of evidence.

"Who were the people who directed that everything be destroyed so quickly? The then health minister, the health secretary NS Nigam and Sandip Ghosh... those responsible must be identified. The main conspirators must be brought to justice," she said.

The victim's father said Ghosh should have received a life sentence in the case, while expressing faith that justice would eventually be delivered.

"He should have been sentenced to life imprisonment in this case," he said.

On the continued tenure of the health secretary, the victim's father said, "He will not remain in the post. The chief minister has said that if evidence is found, he can be removed."

BJP leader Rahul Sinha also expressed surprise over Ghosh's bail but said the decision rested with the judiciary.

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"We were also surprised that Sandip Ghosh got bail. I would clearly say that it would have been better if he had not been granted bail. But can any of us interfere with a judge? The decision to grant or deny bail rests entirely with the judiciary, and obtaining bail is also an individual's legal right. I can say clearly that nobody in Bengal is happy with this bail order," Sinha told reporters here.

The Supreme Court on October 17 granted bail to Ghosh, accused of being involved in financial irregularities at the Kolkata college and manipulation of merit scores to accommodate undeserving candidates.

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale allowed Ghosh's plea against the Calcutta High Court's February 23 order rejecting his bail plea.

The bench took note of the long period of incarceration of Ghosh and the progress of the trial, observing that he had been in custody for more than two years and that only seven out of 147 witnesses had been examined so far.