'Heartbroken': Parents of Kolkata rape victim after key suspects granted bail

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Expressing disappointment with the CBI investigation, the parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said on Friday that they were heartbroken with the two key suspects in the case getting bail and it seemed like the "system" was failing them.


A court in Kolkata's Sealdah granted bail to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and former officer-in-charge of the Tala police station Abhijit Mondal in the rape and murder case of the on-duty doctor.


The CBI, which was handed the investigation into the case by the Calcutta High Court, failed to file a chargesheet against the accused within the mandatory 90-day period, leading to their release on bail.


"We thought the CBI would speed up the investigation and bring those responsible to justice. But now, with the accused being granted bail, it feels like the system is failing us," said the mother of the victim whose body was found in the hospital on August 9.


"Every day, we wonder if this will be another case in which the powerful escape without punishment," she said.


The arrested police officer was accused of delaying the filing of the FIR in the rape and murder case, while Sandip Ghosh faces charges of tampering with evidence. Both were arrested by the CBI.


Speaking to reporters outside the court, Mondal's lawyer said he would soon be released from judicial custody.


Sandip Ghosh, who is also an accused in a separate case of financial irregularities at the RG Kar hospital, will remain in custody despite the bail in the rape-murder case, according to his lawyer.


"We are heartbroken. We trusted the CBI to deliver justice, but now we are left wondering if we will ever see justice for our daughter," said the victim's father.


The rape and murder of the on-duty doctor shocked the state, leading to never-seen-before protests across West Bengal.


The CBI took over the case after the high court intervened following allegations of mishandling by the police.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Agency staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)