Kolkata: A fresh row has erupted in the RG Kar rape and murder case with Kolkata Mayor and state minister Firhad Hakim warning the victim’s parents to stay within their rights.
After the father of the deceased junior doctor said the state government was responsible for her death and that Mamata Banerjee should resign, Hakim said on Monday that the parents are ‘defaming’ West Bengal’s chief minister and are being made to say certain things for the political benefit of others.
“We have deeply condoled the unfortunate incident. He has lost his daughter and we all are protesting that. We also want capital punishment. But that does not mean he will say something which does not come under his rights. Now he has fallen under the trap of some people, those who are indulging in politics using him (victim father),” Firhad said.
“The chief minister is not in her post with the mercy of Left parties. The CM has people’s support,” stressed Firhad, who is also Municipal Affairs and Urban Development minister.
“I would say to him (victim’s father), you should stay within your rights. We are also sad how the CBI has acted. That does not mean, you will say what ever they want you to speak,” the TMC leader said while speaking at Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
In an interview to a TV channel, the father of the victim had said: “The state government is responsible for my daughter’s death. She was a government employee and a medical student. Under such circumstances the chief minister has no ground to stay in power. She should own responsibility and resign immediately.”
The victim’s mother said, “The chief minister is responsible for my daughter’s death. She hasn’t kept any evidence. Now she is out to tamper with the last evidence.”
‘Read the order copy’
Reacting to Firhad’s advice to the parents, the victim’s father said he expected the Mayor to read the Sealdah court’s order before making any comment against him.
“We had confidence on the judge and the judge also kept our confidence in his judgement. People from the administration should read whatever the judge has said in each page of his judgement, which are against the CBI, West Bengal government and college administration, then they can make any comment against me,” he said.
Civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy, the lone accused in the case, was sentenced to life imprisonment a week ago. In his verdict, the judge said he couldn’t hand Roy death penalty as this was not a ‘rarest of rare’ case.
BJP slams ‘insensitive’ comments
The BJP slammed Firhad’s comment, calling it ‘insensitive’.
State BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said the parents rightly demanded the resignation of the CM, which his party had asked for many months ago, soon after the brutal murder on August 9.
“I feel their demand is justified… (Firhad) Hakim sahab has not sacrificed his daughter. As far as I know, he has made his daughter a doctor from a private medical college. The cost of studying in a non-government medical college is in crores. It is possible that she becomes an MLA or MP like her father. That is why he (Firhad) will not be able to understand the pain of her parents,” Majumdar quipped.
“That is why he is saying such insensitive things. The kind of things we have been seeing from him in the last few days, whether it is against me or against Hindus. We cannot expect much from him,” he added.
