Parents of a Kolkata doctor join protests outside RG Kar Hospital, claiming police tried to bribe them after their daughter's murder

The parents of the Calcutta doctor who was brutally raped and murdered last month said police initially offered them bribes to cover up the case.

The brutal crime, which took place while the doctor was on night shift, sparked massive protests across West Bengal, with protesters demanding immediate action.

The doctor's parents took part in the protest at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, where the body of their 31-year-old daughter was discovered on August 9.

They accused the police of trying to close the case without a thorough investigation.

“The police tried to cover up the case from the beginning. We were not allowed to see the body and had to wait at the police station while it was taken for an autopsy,” the father said in a speech to the demonstrators. NDTV reported.

“Later, when the body was handed over to us, a senior police officer offered us money, which we immediately refused,” he added.

The parents said they would join the protest to support the young doctors in their fight for justice for their daughter.

The Kolkata Police has been heavily criticised by the opposition and the public for its handling of the case. Concerns were raised over how the accused, Sanjoy Roy, was able to move freely around the hospital at any time of the day or night.

In addition, allegations have emerged that Roy illegally procured hospital beds and other facilities for patients in return for money.

Amid widespread outrage over the case, the Calcutta High Court last month ordered the case to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On Monday, the CBI arrested former principal of RG Kar Medical College Dr Sandip Ghosh in connection with alleged financial misconduct at the institution.

The West Bengal Parliament also passed an anti-rape law this week that provides for the death penalty for rapists if their acts result in the death of the victim or leave her in a vegetative state.

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