Bengal result: Mother of Kolkata doctor who was raped, murdered wins as BJP candidate in Panihati

The mother of the RG Kar doctor who was raped and murdered, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ratna Debnath, won the Panihati constituency, in the West Bengal Assembly election on Monday, defeating the Trinamool Congress candidate.

She defeated Tirthankar Ghosh by more than 28,000 votes.

The constituency had been held by the TMC’s Nirmal Ghosh since 2011, when the party came to power in West Bengal. His son was fielded by the party for the 2026 elections.

On Monday, the doctor’s mother was quoted by ANI as saying: “My daughter is no longer just mine…the whole world is looking at Panihati.”

She added: “My daughter will surely make the lotus bloom in all of Bengal. The vote is for that purpose. I said it is a fight for justice. The fight will not stop here…I will continue as long as I live.”

Ahead of the polls, she had said that she was contesting “to fight for justice for my daughter” and for the safety of women in the state.

On August 9, 2024, the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found dead on the premises of the state-run hospital. The incident had sparked protests across the country.

Sanjoy Roy, who was convicted for the doctor’s rape and murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025.

In February 2025, the Calcutta High Court admitted an appeal filed...

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