Kolkata rape-murder case: The mother of the 31-year-old trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month, slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of lying. The doctor's mother asked why she would ‘lie’ in her late daughter's name.
Her reaction came after the Chief Minister dismissed allegations that the Kolkata Police tried to bribe the parents of the trainee doctor and claimed that it was an attempt to malign her government.
'Chief Minister is lying'
The victim's mother said, "The Chief Minister is lying. We were offered money. My daughter will not return, will I lie in her name? The Chief Minister said you will get money, make something in your daughter's memory. I then said, when my daughter gets justice, I will come to your office and take that money."
The victim's cousin also refuted Banerjee's assertion, saying that the Chief Minister personally offered financial compensation to the family. "The Chief Minister herself offered financial compensation. She denied that money was offered by the police. I'm still saying with responsibility that the Chief Minister offered money," the cousin said.
On CM's request to return to festivities
As Durga Puja approaches, the Chief Minister's appeal to people to "return to festivities" has drawn sharp criticism from the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital. She termed the request as "inhuman". “It seems inhuman to me because I am the mother of a girl. I have lost a child, so I feel inhuman. If people from all over the country want to return for the (Durga Puja) festival, they can,” she said.
The mother of the trainee doctor, criticised Banerjee's appeal for people to return to festivities, asking, "If such an incident had happened in her family, would she have said that?"
"If the people of the whole country want to move to the festival, then they can move. But they consider my daughter as their family member. If they can return to the festival I have nothing to say. Durga Puja was also held in my house, my daughter used to do it herself. But Durga Puja will never be celebrated in my house again. The light in my room is off. How can I tell people to return to the festival?
She also alleged that Banerjee was trying to "strangle" the protests against her daughter, who was found semi-naked in RG Kar hospital on August 9. "Mamata Banerjee wants to strangle the movement. It is like my daughter was strangled and evidence was destroyed. Until we get justice, we will stay on the road," she said.
Earlier, Banerjee urged people to "return to festivities" as Durga puja is round the corner. “If you stay on the roads every night, elderly people suffer from sleep deprivation because of noise pollution. We haven’t acted on state pollution control board norms. One month has passed. I request you to return to festivities and demand that the CBI completes investigations at the earliest,” the CM said.
(With agencies input)
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