West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that the ransacking of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 14, 2024, was carried out at the behest of then chief minister Mamata Banerjee to undermine the investigation into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. He also alleged that former local MLA Atin Ghosh was involved in the incident.
Adhikari made the allegations on Friday during a convention of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The remarks came two months after the West Bengal government ordered a fresh probe into the alleged rape and murder case.
According to the Indian Express report, the emergency building of the state-run hospital was attacked on August 14, several days after the trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered inside the building on August 9, 2024. The attack occurred while protests were being held across West Bengal demanding justice for the junior doctor.
“The incident happened when people across the state were busy protesting at different places seeking justice for the junior doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered on August 9, 2024, inside the emergency building of the hospital. Police made way for them and the local MLA (Atin Ghosh). All these incidents happened at the behest of the then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. It was a conspiracy,” Adhikari said, according to the report.
Adhikari further alleged that the group attempted to enter the crime scene but that the attempt was thwarted. The report did not provide details of the alleged mechanism behind the attack or identify any documentary evidence presented during the speech to support the claims.
Ratna Devnath, identified in the report as the rape victim’s mother and a BJP MLA, also alleged that the incident involved an attempt to suppress the case and destroy evidence. “They not only tried to suppress the incident but also destroyed the evidence,” she said at the meeting.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation. Adhikari himself said during the speech that the investigation was continuing and that nobody would be spared. The report did not include a response from Mamata Banerjee, Atin Ghosh or representatives of the Trinamool Congress to the allegations.
The case has already resulted in a separate criminal conviction. Former civic volunteer Sanjay Roy was convicted by a Sealdah court and sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life for the rape and murder. The fresh probe ordered by the West Bengal government is now examining the wider circumstances surrounding the case and the hospital attack, according to the report.
The next formal developments will depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation and any action taken by the authorities on the allegations concerning the August 14 incident.
