Sanjoy Roy was arrested a day after the doctor’s body was found at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Calcutta:
On August 10, about 24 hours after the half-naked body of a 31-year-old doctor was recovered from the seminar hall of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a 33-year-old man was arrested on charges of rape and murder. Sanjoy Roy was identified as a volunteer who frequently visited the government hospital, and police said he had confessed to sexually assaulting and murdering the junior doctor.
What followed was a hailstorm on social media, where facts, rumors and half-truths formed a heady cocktail and people pieced together a picture of a rapist and murderer. Some reports said Roy had been married four times, others mentioned he was addicted to porn and frequently visited prostitutes.
Most reports agreed that Roy, although he was a volunteer, was no less influential than a policeman. He rode around on a bicycle with a KP sticker on it – Kolkata Police. He also wore a KP T-shirt and was a frequent visitor to the police barracks. Several reports said that Roy was a regular visitor to the hospital and accepted bribes from patients’ relatives to arrange beds, get pathological tests done and provide various other services.
Roy remains the only person arrested so far in connection with the heinous crime. The doctor’s parents and colleagues suspect that he could just be a scapegoat for an alleged cover-up. Amid a barrage of questions, NDTV spoke to Roy’s mother, sister, mother-in-law and neighbours to separate fact from fiction.
Mother says Sanjoy Roy was tricked
Sanjoy Roy’s mother lives in a modest house in Bhabanipur, Kolkata. Malati Roy told NDTV that her son stayed with her but had been staying at the police barracks frequently of late. When asked about the serious allegations against her son, she said he had done nothing. “Many people are involved in this. Those who have pinned the blame on him will also be punished,” she said.
Roy, she said, ran the household. “He treated me well. He ran the household after his father died.”
Should be punished if he did it: Sister
Sanjoy Roy has four sisters. The eldest lives near her mother and brother but has not visited them for over 17 years. “I have not set foot in this house since I got married 17 years ago. My father was against my marriage and I have not had any contact with the family since then. So I don’t really know how my brother grew up,” she said.
Sanjoy Roy, she said, was married twice. “I know of two marriages. I have seen two wives.”
She said that as a sister, she does not believe Roy could commit such a crime. “But I also see the news. I also do not know. I am shocked. I cannot understand it. But if he did this, he should be punished according to the law.”
Roy’s pregnant wife died last year
Roy married Shanti in February 2022. In August 2023, when Shanti was three months pregnant, she died of cancer. Shanti’s mother Durga Devi said Roy would get drunk and beat up her daughter. “He was married once before but his wife left him,” she said, adding that Roy was divorced. “My daughter always told me he is not a bad person.” She said Roy used to visit her sometimes but has not come since her daughter’s death. Asked if he should be punished if found guilty, Durga Devi replied, “We have nothing to do with him.”
Not a good guy: Neighbors
NDTV spoke to several women who live near Roy’s house in Bhabanipur. They all refused to speak on camera but said Roy was a “bad guy”. “He would stare at women and we would shut our doors whenever we saw him,” said one woman. According to sources, the CBI investigation has revealed that Roy visited a red-light area before allegedly committing the crime. He was reportedly addicted to porn. Only the investigation will now reveal what is fact and what is fiction.
