"Fight Will Continue": RG Kar Victim's Father On Trinamool's Defamation Case

Hours after Trinamool Congress general secretary Kunal Ghosh filed a defamation case against the father of the RG Kar rape and murder victim, the latter said, "We don't want to give importance to him (Kunal Ghosh). Till justice is served, our fight will continue. Our lawyer will respond to the defamation case once we receive the notice."

The defamation suit, registered at Bankshall Court in Kolkata, comes after the victim's father publicly alleged that Mr Ghosh had acted as an intermediary between the West Bengal government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to "settle" the case by paying money. 

He claimed that Mr Ghosh visited the CBI office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake to finalise the "arrangement".

A week earlier, Mr Ghosh had issued a legal notice demanding an apology for the remarks. With no retraction or apology forthcoming, he proceeded with the defamation suit.

"I sympathise with the victim's family. But that doesn't mean that we can say things that are not true in someone's name. I have filed a defamation case. Now they will have to prove their allegations in the court," said Mr Ghosh.

In a social media post on August 11, Mr Ghosh criticised the father's accusations, calling them false and irresponsible. 

"The vicitm's father said that the CBI has taken money and Kunal Ghosh went and settled with them at the CGO Complex office. He is crossing all the limits of lies and drama. I understand the pain of a father who has lost his daughter. But that leaves room for questioning the words of those who are doing and saying whatever they are saying. On whose words and on what information did you make false allegations in my name like this?" Mr Ghosh asked.

The Father's Allegations

The victim's father has maintained that the CBI investigation has been compromised.

"CBI officers told me that they will drop this case. I told them that instead of telling me tell the court. But we believe that CBI has taken money from the state government. Kunal Ghosh went to the CGO complex office in Kolkata and made a settlement," he said. 

Following the filing of the case, he said his family would not be intimidated. "We cannot back down from our commitment to demand justice for our daughter. The Trinamool Congress government has repeatedly tried to prevent us from getting justice. This time, the Trinamool spokesperson has taken legal action against a childless father. However, we will fight for justice. No force can stop us from this. The fight against Kunal Ghosh will be through legal means," he said.

Dr Aniket Mahato of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front described the lawsuit as "a deliberate attempt to silence the parents."

"The parents have lost everything and the least the ruling party can do is to give them some respect instead of taking them to Court," he said. 

BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury also criticised the move.

"The family is going through so much. I would request Kunal Ghosh to refrain and withdraw the case against the parents. It feels as though no one killed her," she said.