KOLKATA: Sanjay Roy responded “I can’t say” to 56 out of 104 questions from prosecution, but said “yes” when asked if he was the person seen in CCTV footage at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s chest department on Aug 9.
This key admission played a critical role in linking him to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor in the hospital’s seminar hall, where she had retired to rest after a 16-hour shift.
The Sealdah trial court convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment Monday. In his 172-page judgment, additional sessions judge Anirban Das highlighted Roy’s incriminating admission during the trial.
Judge Das pointed out that although Roy denied many questions related to the crime, he did not challenge the “truthfulness” of the CCTV footage. “He was cautioned that the replies may or may not be used for or against him and even after understanding everything he gave the reply by supporting the contents of the footage. So, the version of the accused became relevant in this case,” the judge said.
The court examined a specific frame from the CCTV camera located in the chest department on the third-floor. While the crime scene was nearby but outside the camera’s coverage area, footage captured Roy leaving at 4.31am on Aug 9, holding a helmet but without his Bluetooth earphones. Roy admitted to being in the department from 4.03am to 4.31 am, a fact that the judge emphasised as establishing his presence at the crime scene.
In his defence, Roy claimed he was at the hospital to visit a fellow civic volunteer undergoing surgery, though he couldn’t provide the patient’s identity. Roy said he left his helmet and earphones in the male ward. However, the judge found this explanation lacking, as Roy could not substantiate his presence in the male ward nor identify the supposed patient.
When confronted with evidence that his saliva was found on the victim’s body, Roy argued that it was planted after he was tortured in police custody. Judge Das dismissed this claim, saying the victim had been cremated by the time Roy was taken into custody on Aug 10.
The defence’s assertion that Roy’s facial injuries were from boxing practice was also refuted by forensic experts. They said the injuries were scratch marks, not blunt trauma typical of boxing. “This means that the accused and his counsels were swimming in a whirlpool and could not understand what would be appropriate defence. All the defence went against the accused,” the judge said.