Former minister denies son’s involvement in RG Kar incident

Kolkata: Former state minister and Tamluk MLA, Soumen Kumar Mahapatra and his wife, Sumana Mahapatra, have dismissed allegations circulating on social media linking their son to the alleged rape and death of a female medical student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

During a Press conference at their Panskura residence on Tuesday, the couple expressed anger towards certain party members whom they believe are behind the rumors.

Mahapatra clarified that their son, Bodhisattva Mahapatra, graduated in 2017 and currently serves as the Block Medical Officer of Health (BMOH) at Panskura-I Pitpur Block Health Centre. He emphasised that the deceased student was like a daughter to them and extended condolences to her family. The former minister supported Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call for an investigation and assured full cooperation. In a pointed statement, Mahapatra hinted that the false accusations were being propagated by factions within the party, possibly due to his longstanding distance from the party’s inner circle.

Both Mahapatra and his wife, a former councillor and Trinamool leader, expressed deep distress over the attempts to tarnish their family’s reputation, but they remain confident that the truth will emerge through a proper investigation.