Kolkata police order suo motu inquiry into claims of injury of RG Kar victim's mom

KOLKATA: Police in Kolkata have opened a suo motu probe into allegations that the RG Kar medical college rape-murder victim's mother was wounded during Saturday's march to Bengal secretariat Nabanna, setting off a political slugfest between TMC and BJP over who was to blame.

The parents have not filed a formal complaint, but BJP said the matter may be raised in Calcutta HC Monday.

Police commissioner Manoj Verma said on Sunday that officers are reviewing footage from bodycams, traffic and drone surveillance, and TV broadcasts to determine how and where the parents were allegedly attacked. "Until we analyse the footage from different angles, it's not possible to say what happened. We are conducting a detailed inquiry," he said.

The victim's father questioned the probe's credibility, citing the alleged failure to review last year's RG Kar CCTV footage and warning the latest one could be "AI-generated". He alleged RAF personnel beat his wife with sticks and pushed him during the march. Police allegedly resorted to mild lathi charge while pushing the crowd back, and the couple stumbled. The mother claimed a head wound.

She was discharged Sunday from a private hospital, which said her condition was stable. Her husband alleged the hospital initially reported a serious head wound but later changed it to an "accident" under political pressure. "We refused to accept (the new report) and will inform the court," he said.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh called the allegations an "outright lie" and challenged the parents to produce proof of police hitting them. He accused BJP functionaries of pushing the parents forward "for a photo op".

The march, marking the first anniversary of the crime, was called by Bengal assembly leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) and backed by the parents.

BJP's Kaustav Bagchi said the parents were likely to lodge a complaint soon.