Suvendu Adhikari boycotts Bengal Govt meet, accuses CM Mamata of cover-up in RG Kar doctor’s rape and murder

Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, has refused to attend the March 19 meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the appointment of state information commissioners. In a letter to the personnel and administrative reforms secretary, Adhikari cited the alleged rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August 2023 as the reason for his boycott. He accused the state government of protecting the accused and claimed that the police had tampered with evidence to derail the investigation.

Adhikari wrote that the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home Ministry portfolio, is responsible for the alleged destruction of crucial evidence by Kolkata Police. “As long as the perpetrators (government officials and influential ruling party politicians) who were involved in such despicable act are not put behind bars and our sister doesn’t get justice, my conscience won’t allow me to attend any meeting where the West Bengal home minister who is also the chief minister is present,” Adhikari stated in his letter. He also described his decision as an “emotional call.”

The March 19 meeting was scheduled to include Mamata Banerjee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, and Adhikari, as part of the three-member panel responsible for selecting state information commissioners. The state's Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms had officially invited Adhikari, but he formally declined participation through his letter. His boycott comes amid increasing political tension between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the Bengal Assembly.

Adhikari also questioned why the victim’s family has not yet received her death certificate, despite seven months passing since the incident. He alleged that the state health department, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and RG Kar Medical College administration have been delaying the process. The case had sparked significant protests, with doctors and medical students demanding a transparent investigation, but no official resolution has been announced regarding the family's grievances.

Adhikari has been at loggerheads with Mamata Banerjee since defeating her in the 2021 Nandigram Assembly elections. He has avoided official meetings with her except during Assembly proceedings. His boycott of the March 19 meeting follows previous instances, such as skipping the Bengal governor’s Independence Day tea party in 2023, where Banerjee was also present. Meanwhile, Adhikari has expressed interest in contesting from Bhawanipore, Banerjee’s constituency, in the next Assembly elections.