BJP fields R.G. Kar victim’s mother from Panihati in West Bengal Assembly polls
The Hindu
BJP nominates mother of R.G. Kar victim Abhaya to contest from Panihati in West Bengal Assembly elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday (March 25, 2026), fielded the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Hospital and Medical College in August 2024.
The mother of Abhaya (the victim was called Abhaya by protesters who took to the streets in protests) will contest from Panihati in North 24 Parganas. The party announced the names of candidates for 19 more constituencies in West Bengal on Wednesday evening. A few days ago, Abhaya’s mother had confirmed that she will contest from Panihati Assembly seat on a BJP ticket. Several BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had reached out to the family convincing the mother to contest the polls.
She had criticised a section of leaders of the Left parties accusing them of using the death of her daughter for political gains.
The protests over the gruesome crime that went on for months in 2024 was one of the biggest challenges faced by the Mamata Banerjee government in her third term prompting people to raise questions on deteriorating law and order situation and safety of women. Thousands of people had descended on the streets of the city for months seeking ‘ Justice for Abhaya’. Junior doctors of all-State run institutions went on a strike for weeks.
The Kolkata Police had arrested a former civic volunteer for the crime. In January 2025, a court in Sealdah sentenced the former civic police volunteer for life imprisonment. The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case as per directions of the Calcutta High Court but could not make much headway in the case, despite a number of conspiracy theories going around in connection with the horrific crime.
A week ago Abhaya’s mother had criticised a section of leaders pf Communist Party of India (Marxist) claiming that they had used the death of her daughter as a political opportunity. CPI(M) West Bengal secretary Md Salim had urged her not join any political party. “We have never asked the victim’s parents to be [with the] CPI(M). We have only tried to stand beside them... We had no gain in helping the family, but the Trinamool Congress and BJP have their vested interests,” Mr. Salim had said.
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