The rape-murder case of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata took the country by shock. Seeing a similar unity in these protests from the 2012 Nirbhaya case, big celebs and athletes have also joined in to express their anger over the issue. In the latest development, three prominent theatre and film personalities of West Bengal have expressed their displeasure and announced to return the honours given to them by the state government.
These actors have announced to return their awards
Actor Sudipta Chakraborty from National Award-winning films like 'Bariwali', theatre artist Biplab Bandopadhyay and actor Chandan Sen announced to return the award on Tuesday. For the unversed, Sudipta was given a special film award by the Mamata Banerjee government in the year 2013. In a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, she wrote, "Keeping in mind the current situation in the state and the related comments made by one of our respected MLAs Kanchan Malik on September 1, I want to return my certificate and the honour given to me. I want to continue my demand for legal and social justice by standing on the road." The actor further added that she was given an amount of Rs 25,000 along with the certificate and would like to know the way by which she can return the amount.
This is what Biplab Bandyopadhyay said
Earlier, Bengali theatre artist Biplab Bandyopadhyay announced that he was going to return the award and monetary grant of Rs 30,000 given to him by the Paschim Banga Natya Academy earlier this year. He alleged that the state government and the police were trying to hide the facts in this case. He said that after the RG Kar incident, he cannot keep any award instituted by the state.
Chandan Sen will also return the award
Raising questions on the state's way of handling the RG Kar case, actor Chandan Sen also announced that he is returning the 'Deenbandhu Mitra Award' instituted by the Natya Academy. "I have already sent a mail to the Secretary of Information and Cultural Affairs expressing my desire to return the award money," the actor said.
The heinous crime took place on August 9
It is worth noting that the body of an on-duty post-graduate trainee female doctor was found in the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. After this, the police arrested an accused named Sanjay Roy. On the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the CBI is now investigating this case. Moreover, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in this case too.
