A file image of Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim and BJP candidate from the Panihati seat. Photo: BJP via ANI.
Almost 20 months after the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim, widely known as Abhaya, passed away, her mother, Ratna Debnath, stepped into the political arena to get justice for her daughter. She is fighting the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. Though her candidature has received massive support, especially from women, it has also invited criticism.
On Thursday (April 9, 2026), as she campaigned in the lanes of her Panihati neighbourhood with folded hands, Ms. Debnath, accompanied by her husband, appealed to voters to support her. She blamed the Trinamool Congress government for the R.G. Kar incident.
Published – April 11, 2026 10:22 pm IST
