Kolkata, March 24: 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 not yet decided whether to nominate any member of the victim’s family as a candidate from the Panihati assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district.
The BJP has released two lists of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections next month, but has yet to announce a candidate for Panihati.
Adhikari stated on Monday night that the decision regarding whether a family member of the victim will be nominated as a candidate from Panihati will be made by the central leadership of the party. He added that 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. The Kolkata Police initiated an investigation and arrested Sanjay Roy, the sole accused in the case, who was a former civil volunteer with the city police.
Later, following an order from the Calcutta High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation and identified Sanjay Roy as the only accused in the charges of rape and murder.
Subsequently, a lower court in Kolkata sentenced Roy to life imprisonment, which the CBI later challenged in the Calcutta High Court, seeking the death penalty for him.