Kolkata, Jan 18: With just a few hours left for a special court in Kolkata to deliver its verdict on the rape and murder of a woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August last year, the entire court premises have been wrapped under a blanket of security since early Saturday morning, even as her parents issued a last-moment appeal to the public not to end the fight for justice.

The cops of Kolkata Police have raised layers of barricades within the entire court premises apprehending that there will be a major gathering of common people, representatives of the civil society as well the state’s medical fraternity.

On Saturday morning, the mother of the victim issued a last-minute appeal through social media to the common people not to end the movement with the verdict being pronounced later in the day by the special court.

“If the dreams of our deceased daughter do not get justice, her life-long achievements would become fruitless. We pray that no girl faces such pain which my daughter faced. All those who are responsible should not be spared at any cost. They should be punished so that no other daughter faces the same pain like ours,” the appeal from the victim’s mother read.

According to them, Saturday’s verdict will be the first step in this direction.

“The real justice will be achieved only when all the masterminds behind the crime are brought within the ambit of the investigation and punished. We all should raise the demand not for just the sake of my daughter but for the sake of security of all the daughters,” her appeal read.

“As a mother all I can say is that I have lost everything. But I will continue my fight for other daughters till justice is achieved,” her appeal concluded.

On Friday evening, the parents of the victim expressed apprehension that their quest for justice for their daughter would be limited to conviction and sentencing of the “sole prime accused” in the case Sanjay Ray, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, thus allowing the “suspected” conspirators involved in “tampering” and “altering” with the evidences in the matter, of remaining behind the curtains forever.

Patna, Jan 18: Even as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha has a packed schedule during his visit to Patna on Saturday, political circles are abuzz with speculation whether Rahul Gandhi will meet the RJD supremo during this trip.

LoP Gandhi is scheduled to participate in two key events on Saturday, the Constitution Security Conference at the Bapu Auditorium and an address to party workers at the Congress headquarters, Sadakat Ashram.

His visit comes after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, making it notable for its timing and political implications. For political observers, the central question revolves around whether the two leaders will meet.

Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi have shared a close political alliance, especially in the context of the Opposition coalition formed to counter the BJP at the national level.

LoP Rahul Gandhi’s last visit to Patna on June 23, 2023, was instrumental in solidifying the Opposition’s joint strategy, alongside Lalu Prasad and other prominent leaders.

This makes any potential meeting between the two during this tour a matter of political curiosity and significance.

The Congress MP’s visit to Patna is taking place at a politically dynamic moment, coinciding with the National Executive meeting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) at Hotel Maurya, where key decisions, including contesting the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections under Tejashwi Yadav’s leadership, may be announced.

This convergence of major events highlights the delicate interplay of relationships within the Opposition’s coalition politics.

The Congress-RJD relationship has traversed a bitter-sweet journey since 1998.

While Lalu Prasad initially emerged as a staunch critic of the Congress, the two parties formed an enduring partnership after the 2000 Bihar Assembly elections, eventually strengthening their alliance in the UPA-1 government, where Lalu Yadav was one of the most influential ministers.

Over the years, despite occasional tensions, the bond between the Congress and RJD has been characterised by moments of mutual trust and collaboration.

Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav, in particular, have shared a cordial and often warm relationship.

Notable examples include the first meeting of the INDIA bloc in Patna on June 23, 2023, where Lalu offered to “attend Rahul Gandhi’s wedding procession,” humorously emphasising their camaraderie.

On September 2, 2023, the viral image of Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav cooking Champaran Mutton at Misa Bharti’s residence in Delhi showcased their informal rapport.

Despite the foundation of the INDIA bloc being laid in Patna as a united Opposition to the NDA, the 2024 Lok Sabha election results exposed cracks within the alliance.

Rhetoric among member parties, including the RJD and Congress, has highlighted differences.

Tejashwi Yadav’s statement that the INDIA bloc was only formed for the Lok Sabha elections raised doubts about its future in Bihar.

The RJD’s support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly elections further signaled fissures within the coalition.

As a result, questions about the durability of the Opposition alliance in Bihar and at the national level are now at the forefront.

Rahul Gandhi’s official itinerary suggests that his visit is primarily focussed on addressing the Constitution Security Conference at Bapu Auditorium and meeting Congress workers at Sadakat Ashram. However, what will happen on the sidelines, remains to be seen.

Kolkata, Jan 18: Amid apprehensions and hope, a special court in Kolkata will be delivering the verdict within a few hours in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August last year.

On one hand, the parents of the victim are apprehending that their quest for justice for their daughter will be limited to conviction and sentencing of the “sole prime accused” in the case Sanjay Ray, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, thus allowing the conspirators involved in “tampering” and “altering” of the evidence in the matter, to remain behind the curtains forever.

On the other hand, the hope of many representatives of civil society is that while pronouncing the sentence for the sole prime accused, at least the special court should make some observations on the “evidence tampering and altering” aspect, that might open up a new line of investigation on these lines.

Already the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which just filed one charge sheet in the matter identifying Sanjay Ray as the sole prime accused in the crime of rape and murder, is in the line of fire of the victim’s parents and a section of the civil society, who suspect the role of some “invisible hand” in pulling the strings of the CBI in the case.

On this issue, the CBI is portrayed as a villain because of its failure in filing a supplementary charge sheet against the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar, Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal, both accused of tampering and altering the evidence, within 90 days of their arrest, following which both were granted “default bail” by the same special court.

Now all eyes will be on the proceedings of the special court in the second half on Saturday, when the verdict will be pronounced leaving the field open for further debates on whether “justice is granted” or “justice is denied” for ‘Abhaya (the fearless)’ the woman doctor who has been named such by the public.