3 weeks ago
RG Kar doctor's mother rejects TMC MLA's compensation comparison
A doctor was hurt badly and died at a big hospital in Kolkata, India.
Her family was offered money by the government after she died.
Later, a worker for a political party died while the police were holding him.
His family was also offered money.
A politician said both families were treated the same way.
The doctor's mother disagreed and said the two cases are very different.
She said her daughter died while doing her job at a government hospital.
She also said the other family got extra help, like a job for a relative and an investigation of the police.
She said her family did not get that kind of help.
Two political groups are now arguing about what the money really means.
Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar hospital rape-murder victim and now a BJP MLA, rejected TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh's comparison between two Rs 10 lakh compensation payments.
Ghosh drew a parallel between compensation for the family of Birju Koet, a Trinamool Congress worker who died in police custody in Halisahar, and the Rs 10 lakh announced after the RG Kar victim's death in August 2024.
Debnath said the cases were fundamentally different because her daughter was killed while on duty at a state-run hospital and the then government could not escape responsibility.
She claimed the Halisahar family also received a government job and action against accused police officers, while nothing comparable was done after her daughter's death.
Ghosh accused critics of a double standard, saying the earlier payment was portrayed as an attempt to 'buy silence' while the same amount is now defended as legitimate government compensation.
- Who
- Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar hospital rape-murder victim and now a BJP MLA, rejected the comparison made by Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh.
- What
- A political dispute over whether the Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of TMC worker Birju Koet, who died in police custody in Halisahar, can be compared with the Rs 10 lakh announced after the RG Kar hospital rape-murder.
- Where
- West Bengal, India, involving Kolkata's RG Kar hospital and Halisahar in North 24 Parganas district.
- When
- The dispute broke out on Monday; the RG Kar compensation was announced in August 2024, and Sanjay Roy was sentenced to life imprisonment until death in January 2025.
- Why
- The two politically charged deaths have been drawn into the same debate over whether compensation is relief for a bereaved family or an admission of institutional responsibility.
TMC position (Kunal Ghosh)
BJP position (Ratna Debnath)
Comparability of the two cases
TMC position (Kunal Ghosh)
Ghosh says the two payments were identical, so criticising the earlier one and defending the current one is a political double standard.
BJP position (Ratna Debnath)
Debnath says the cases are fundamentally different because her daughter was killed while on duty at a state-run hospital and the then government could not escape responsibility.
Meaning of the compensation
TMC position (Kunal Ghosh)
Ghosh argues the earlier Rs 10 lakh payment was wrongly portrayed as an attempt to 'buy silence' when it was a legitimate obligation under government rules.
BJP position (Ratna Debnath)
Debnath argues compensation cannot be viewed in isolation from responsibility for a death inside a government institution.
Government response beyond the money
TMC position (Kunal Ghosh)
Ghosh says the Halisahar compensation was justified and the government was simply following the prescribed framework.
BJP position (Ratna Debnath)
Debnath says the Halisahar family also got a government job and action against accused police officers, while no such steps followed her daughter's death.
Key facts
- Disputed compensation amount
- Rs 10 lakh
- Halisahar case
- Death of TMC worker Birju Koet in police custody
- RG Kar case
- Rape-murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar hospital; compensation announced August 2024
- RG Kar convict
- Sanjay Roy, sentenced to life imprisonment until death in January 2025
- RG Kar victim's mother
- Ratna Debnath, now a BJP MLA
- TMC MLA in dispute
- Kunal Ghosh
- West Bengal Chief Minister
- Shubhendu Adhikari, who approved the Halisahar compensation
- Former Chief Minister
- Mamata Banerjee, whose TMC government faced criticism over the RG Kar case
Quotes
Ratna Debnath
Mother of RG Kar hospital rape‑murder victim, now a BJP MLA
“Money cannot compensate for a death. But there is a provision for compensation under government rules, and there are designated funds for it.”
rediff.com
“There can be no comparison between the two incidents.”
rediff.com
Sources
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