The brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, India, has sparked widespread outrage, with tens of thousands of people protesting on the streets, demanding justice for the young woman. The parents of the doctor, who remember her as a bright and determined individual with dreams of caring for her family, spoke to BBC Hindi about their unimaginable loss.
All names and identifying details have been omitted, as Indian law prohibits the disclosure of a rape victim’s identity or that of her family.
“Please make sure dad takes his medicines on time. Don’t worry about me.”
These were the last words the 31-year-old doctor spoke to her mother just hours before she was brutally assaulted in the hospital where she worked.
“The next day, we tried to call her, but the phone just kept ringing,” her mother recounted from their family home, situated in a narrow alley a few kilometers from Kolkata.
Later that morning, the doctor’s partially-clothed body was discovered in a seminar hall at the hospital, showing extensive injuries. A hospital volunteer has since been arrested in connection with the crime.
The incident has led to nationwide protests, with doctors across India observing a strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) over the weekend, leaving only emergency services operational at major hospitals.
Her family is devastated by the loss.
“At the age of 62, all my dreams have been shattered,” her father told the BBC.
Their once-quiet home in a respectable neighborhood has become the epicenter of media attention, with dozens of journalists and camera crews stationed outside, hoping to capture the grieving parents as they emerge.
A police barricade has been erected, and 10 to 15 officers stand guard to prevent the media from photographing the victim’s house. The tragic crime occurred on the night of August 9, when the young doctor, a junior at RG Kar Medical College, had gone to a seminar room to rest after enduring a grueling 36-hour shift.
Her parents spoke of how she was a passionate student who worked tirelessly to become a doctor.
“We come from a lower middle-class background and built everything on our own. When she was little, we struggled financially,” said her father, who works as a tailor.
The living room is filled with tools of his trade—a sewing machine, spools of thread, and a heavy iron. Scraps of fabric are scattered across the floor.
“There were times when we couldn’t even afford to buy pomegranates, her favorite fruit,” he continued. “But she never asked for anything for herself.”
“People would say, ‘You can’t make your daughter a doctor.’ But my daughter proved everyone wrong and got into a government-run medical college,” he added, breaking down in tears as a relative tried to comfort him.
Her mother remembered how her daughter would write in her diary every night before going to bed.
“She wrote that she wanted to win a gold medal for her medical degree. She wanted to live a good life and take care of us too,” she said softly. And she did.
The father, who suffers from high blood pressure, shared how his daughter always made sure he took his medication on time.
“Once, I ran out of medicine and thought I’d just buy it the next day. But she found out, and even though it was around 10 or 11 pm, she said no one would eat until the medicine was here,” he recalled. “That’s how she was—she never let me worry about anything.”
Her mother listened quietly, her fingers repeatedly touching a gold bangle on her wrist—a gift from her daughter. The parents said their daughter’s marriage had almost been finalized.
“But she would tell us not to worry and say she would continue to take care of all our expenses even after marriage,” her father said.
As he spoke, her mother began to cry, her soft sobs echoing in the room. Occasionally, her eyes would drift to the staircase leading up to their daughter’s room. The door has remained shut since August 10, and the parents have not entered the room since they received the news of her death.
They are still struggling to comprehend how something “so barbaric” could happen to their daughter at her workplace.
“The hospital should be a safe place,” her father said.
Violence against women remains a pervasive issue in India, with an average of 90 rapes reported daily in 2022, according to government statistics.
The parents said their daughter’s death has brought back painful memories of the 2012 case in which a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang-raped on a moving bus in Delhi. Her injuries were fatal.
That horrific incident, which garnered global attention and led to weeks of protests, prompted India to strengthen its laws against sexual violence. However, reports of sexual assault have continued to rise, and accessing justice remains a significant challenge for women in the country.
Last week, thousands of people participated in a “Reclaim the Night” march in Kolkata, demanding safety for women nationwide.
The doctor’s case has also highlighted the challenges faced by healthcare workers, with many calling for a thorough and impartial investigation into her murder and for federal laws to protect them—especially women—at work.
Federal Health Minister JP Nadda has assured doctors that he will implement stricter measures to ensure their safety in professional environments. But for the parents of the young doctor, these promises come too late.
“We want the harshest punishment for the culprit,” her father said.
“Our state, our country, and the whole world are asking for justice for our daughter.”
