On March 8, 2025, International Women’s Day, the mother of the 31-year-old junior doctor who was tragically raped and murdered at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, publicly expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek justice for her daughter. She voiced deep concerns about women’s safety in West Bengal, stating, “If a woman doctor is unsafe at her workplace, then where is the security?”
The grieving mother highlighted that seven months have passed since the incident, yet the family has not received her daughter’s death certificate. She lamented, “Our daughter had dreamt big, and we never thought that she would have to die such a death. It’s been seven months since she left us, but where is justice?”
The tragic incident occurred when the young doctor was found dead in a seminar hall of the hospital after a 36-hour shift. Her body showed signs of severe assault, leading to widespread protests and strikes by medical professionals across the country, demanding justice and improved safety measures in hospitals.
In response to the mother’s appeal, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul expressed confidence that Prime Minister Modi would consider meeting the bereaved parents, stating, “I am sure that our Prime Minister will give them some time and listen to their appeal.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader and state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya remarked that while anyone has the right to seek an appointment with the Prime Minister, it was under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the initial steps were taken to arrest the culprit.
The sole convict in the case, Kolkata Police civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, was sentenced to life imprisonment till death by a sessions court on January 20, 2025. Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the state government have filed appeals before the Calcutta High Court seeking capital punishment for Roy. The High Court accepted the CBI’s plea but refused to admit the state government’s appeal challenging the life sentence.
