Not satisfied': CM seeks death sentence, Oppn hits out at TMC

Leaders across party lines on Monday expressed discontent with the judgment of a Kolkata court pronouncing life imprisonment till death for prime accused Sanjay Roy in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor at the West Bengal government-run RG Kar medical college and hospital, demanding the capital punishment for the convict.

- HT Correspondent

KOLKATA:

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed "dissatisfaction" over the verdict of a Sealdah court in Kolkata, alleging the investigation was "forcibly" taken away from the state police.

"I am surprised. I cannot comment on the court but I am not satisfied. The state government prayed for death sentence from the very beginning. All of us had demanded death sentence. We will stick to our demand," Banerjee said. "Had it been death penalty, at least my heart would have been somewhat at peace."

Her remarks came minutes after additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das pronounced the sentencing around 2.50 pm, ruling that the crime did not meet the criteria for the "rarest of the rare" category, which would have warranted the death penalty.

"We were handling the investigation but the case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he got death sentence. We have ensured death sentence in three recent cases within around 60 days (of the crimes). We could have ensured death sentence in this case long time ago," she alleged.

The TMC chief also criticised CBI for its probe and questioned the federal agency's inability to convince the court that the convict deserved to be sent to the gallows.

"It seems they (CBI) failed to establish the point. I don't know what arguments they had put up in court," Banerjee said.

On Saturday, judge Das convicted Roy (34), a civic volunteer of Kolkata police, of raping and murdering the on-duty postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9 last year, with the verdict coming over five months after the crime that sparked nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests by medics.