The tragic death of a Kolkata medical student leaves a family struggling with grief and misinformation

Kolkata, West Bengal – It has been a week since her 31-year-old daughter, a medical student, was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. But the harrowing experience of dealing with her child's death and filing petitions has been made worse by the rumours circulating on social media platforms.

In addition to reporters and police officers who regularly visit them, internet influencers also crowded outside the house of the doctor who was gang-raped and then murdered on August 9 in one of Calcutta's oldest medical colleges.

The house on the outskirts of Kolkata now looks deserted, apart from the police stationed there round the clock. “We are very worried and want the police to take action. There are pictures on social media showing her body being taken out of our house for burial,” the victim's aunt told Decode.

There are numerous rumours circulating on social media about who called the family first – the Kolkata Police or the hospital administration. The father of the deceased doctor told Decode, “The deputy hospital administrator called us to inform us about our daughter's death. The police did not say anything. They just called us and asked us to come quickly.”

There are also claims that the family was told that the doctor had committed suicide. The father told Decode: “The deputy chief medical officer told us that she had committed suicide, but we knew that was impossible. So we rushed to the hospital and arrived there at 1pm on August 9.”

In recent days, protesters have taken to the streets to demand safety for women, with many of them claiming that the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has tried to cover up the case.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee on Friday asked the CBI to complete its investigation by Sunday to ensure speedy justice for the deceased junior doctor. The case was handed over to the federal agency by the Kolkata Police on August 13 through a bench of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. In parallel, the police arrested 20 people by Friday afternoon in connection with the rampage at the hospital's emergency department by a mob that entered the hospital at around 12.40 am on August 15.

On the day they received the call to rush to their daughter's college, they arrived there at 1pm. However, the victim's father 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 has not cooperated with us from day one,” he said.

A quick search of relevant keywords on Facebook brings up disturbing images of the woman's body being wrapped in a shroud and placed on a hearse being driven out of her home. Internet users have taken the liberty of “editing” the images, overlaying them with sad music and mugshots of the woman. The victim's aunt added: “This is so insensitive. How do they get these images?”

A nameplate with the prefix “Dr.” and the victim's name was reportedly placed on the front door of the two-story building a few weeks before the brutal attack on the victim. “People were taking pictures of the nameplate with my niece's name on it. There is no secrecy anymore,” she added.

The police have now cordoned off the area and the entrance to the alley leading to the deceased doctor's house and access is prohibited except for local residents and the victim's family.

Nevertheless, passers-by quickly stopped to take photos of the street before they were chased away by police officers on duty at the nearest police station.

While this reporter was talking to the victim's aunt, a passerby was caught recording the conversation. Soon, the doctor's aunt objected, saying, “Why are you recording this? This is what you keep spreading (on the Internet).”

The family of the deceased doctor was visibly dismayed by the stories circulating on social media, especially Facebook.

“People on social media have shared several distasteful stories. We want the media to do something about it,” the grieving father told Decode.

Social media is rife with misinformation, with some media outlets publishing the victim's name and photographs. The Cyber ​​Department of Kolkata Police has since issued several alerts and advisories and summoned 60 people who allegedly spread rumours on social media.

Facebook posts also claimed that the family was stopped by a political party on August 10 as they were trying to bring their daughter's body home. When asked, the father clarified: “Nobody stopped us on the way home.”

Some social media posts also claimed that her daughter's car was damaged and looted after the incident. The victim's mother clarified, “Our car was not damaged. When we left the hospital premises, the police wanted us to hurry and leave.” The victim's aunt added, “Her mother, who was at the scene, said her daughter had died and she pleaded with the police to leave the car.”

Kolkata police have so far arrested one person in the daughter's rape and murder case. According to reports, the accused Sanjoy Roy has confessed to the crime and shown no remorse.

On August 14, the parents of the deceased doctor sat glued to their televisions as thousands of people took to the streets to protest as part of the “Reclaim the Night” movement. “We also followed the protests. My sons and daughters are on the streets. They do not belong to any political party. They are fighting for my daughter, who they consider their sister.”

(Additional reporting: Srijit Das)