KOLKATA: The observation by a single judge bench of Calcutta High Court, asking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to clarify whether the ghastly R.G. Kar rape and murder case in August last year was a case of “rape or gang-rape” has encouraged different organisations spearheading the movement to start a fresh stir.
After this, the leading protest groups have made it clear that CBI would be the target of their future protests in the matter now. According to an office-bearer of one such group, Medical Service Centre, the CBI has yet to file a supplementary charge sheet highlighting the aspects of the larger conspiracy behind the tragedy.
“We had been saying for a long time that the CBI had been trying to wash their hands off just by ensuring the conviction and sentencing of civic volunteer Sanjay Roy. The Calcutta High Court too seems to have realized it as evident from its observation on Monday. “Now it is time again to start a fresh movement on this issue and if necessary the series of protests like ‘reclaiming the night’ as was done last year. We demand that CBI reaches a quick and logical conclusion revealing the larger conspiracy behind the tragedy, ” he added.
At the same time, said a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, another association, which led the protests last year, the future movements will also focus on the role of the state government in trying to stall a fresh probe into the case by raising legal points.
“On one hand, the CBI had failed miserably in discharging their duty in revealing the larger conspiracy behind the tragedy. And now the state government seems to be determined to create hurdles for further investigation into the matter. Our next course of movement, which will be announced shortly, will be against both CBI and the state government, ” claimed an activist.
On Monday, the state government counsel and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee submitted that the state government was not opposed to further investigation into the matter. However, he questioned whether this could be done after the trial process had been completed at a special court.
Even the victim’s parents also strongly objected to the line of the state government counsel in the matter.
"On one hand, the state government is claiming that it did not have any objection to further investigation. On the other hand, it is raising questions on the legal aspects of whether further investigation could be carried out or not. The state government is not making it clear what it wants. This particular approach on the part of the state government had been evident since the body of our daughter was recovered from within the hospital premises in the morning of August 9 last year, ” the victim’s father said after the hearing on Monday.