Kolkata, West Bengal- It’s been a week since their 31-year old medical student daughter was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. But the harrowing experience of dealing with their child’s death and filing petitions have become worse with the rumours filled on social media platforms.
Besides reporters and law enforcement officers who frequently visit them, Internet influencers thronged outside the home that belonged to the doctor who was reportedly gangraped and murdered on August 9 in one of Kolkata's oldest medical college.
The home on the outskirts of Kolkata now bears a deserted look except for police personnel stationed there 24*7. "We have been very disturbed and we want the police to do something. There are visuals on social media of her body being taken out of our home for funeral," the victim's aunt told Decode.
The social media platforms have been rife with rumours about who called the family first - the Kolkata Police or the hospital authorities. The deceased doctor's father told Decode, "The assistant super of the hospital called us to inform us about our daughter's death. The police did not say anything. They just called us and asked us to hurry and come."
There have also been claims about the family being told that the doctor died by suicide. The father told Decode, "We were told by the assistant super that she committed suicide, but we knew that this was impossible. So we hurried and rushed to the hospital and reached there at 1 pm on August 9."
For the last few days, protestors have taken to the streets to demand safety for women. Many of them allege that the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government tried to cover up the case.
Meanwhile Mamata Banerjee on Friday demanded the CBI finish its investigation by Sunday to expedite prompt justice to the deceased junior doctor. The case was transferred to the federal agency from the Kolkata Police by the division bench of the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice on August 13. In a parallel development, police arrested 20 people, till Friday afternoon in connection with the rampage at the hospital’s emergency department by a mob that stormed into the hospital around 12.40 am on August 15.
The day they received the call to rush to their daughter’s college, they reached the premises at 1 pm. However, the father of the victim told Decode that they had to wait for three hours before they could see their daughter’s body lying in a pool of blood.
"The hospital did not cooperate with us from the very first day,” he said.
A quick relevant keyword search on Facebook leads one to disturbing visuals of the woman's body wrapped in a shroud and placed on a hearse van being taken out of her home. Internet users have taken the liberty to 'edit' the visuals and overlay them with sorrowful music and mugshots of the woman's photographs. The victim’s aunt added, "It is so insensitive. How are they getting these visuals?"
A nameplate bearing the prefix Dr and the victim's name was reportedly put up on the entrance door of the two-storied building, a few weeks before the victim's brutal assault. "People were clicking photographs of the nameplate with my niece's name. There is no amount of secrecy anymore," she added.
Police has since cordoned off the area and the entry to the lane leading to the deceased doctor's house and it has since been sealed except for residents and the victim's family.
However, passersby have been quick to make a stop to click visuals of the lane before they are shooed away by on-duty police from the nearest police station.
As this reporter was speaking to the victim’s aunt, a passerby was caught recording the interaction. Soon the doctor's aunt objected and said, "Why are you recording this? This is what you are continuously spreading (online)."
The deceased doctor's family has been visibly upset about the narratives being spun on social media, particularly Facebook.
"People on social media have been sharing several distasteful narratives. We want the media fraternity to do something about this,” the grieving father told Decode.
Social media is full of misinformation, some of them putting out the victim’s name and her photos. The cyber wing of Kolkata police have since then issued several warnings and notices and summoned 60 people who had allegedly spread rumours on social media.
Facebook posts also claimed that the family was stopped by a political party while they were bringing their daughter's body home on August 10. On being asked, the father clarified, "Nobody stopped us while on our way back home."
Some posts on social media also alleged that their daughter's car was vandalised and ransacked after the incident. The victim's mother clarified, "Our car was not vandalised. When we were leaving the hospital premises, the police wanted us to hurry and leave." The victim's aunt added, "Her mother, who was present on the spot, said that her daughter has died and she pleaded to the police to leave the car."
The Kolkata police have so far arrested one person in the rape and the murder case of the daughter. According to reports, Sanjoy Roy, the accused has admitted to the crime, and showed no remorse.
On August 14, the deceased doctor's parents were glued to the television sets when thousands of people took to the streets to protest in the movement called "Reclaim the Night". "We have also been watching the protests. My sons and daughters are on the streets. They are not from any political party. They are fighting for my daughter whom they consider their sister."
(Additional reporting: Srijit Das)