Kolkata trainee doctor rape-murder: 'My son isn't capable of...', Sanjay Roy's mother reacts to his conviction in RG Kar case

As the crowded Sealdah Civil & Criminal Court buzzed with anticipation over the verdict in the RG Kar rape and murder case, just five kilometres away, Malati Roy, a frail sexagenarian, was hopelessly spending the day in her dilapidated and cramped one-room dwelling near Sambhunath Pandit Street, opposite the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences at Bhowanipore in Kolkata. 

A devout Hindu, Malati used to live here alone with her son Sanjay Roy before he was arrested in the RG Kar rape and murder case. On Saturday, she did not cook food, and relied instead on leftovers, as her anxious mind remained consumed by worry.

With the Sealdah court declaring her son guilty of raping and murdering a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, Malati was unwilling to accept the verdict. “I don’t believe my son could do what people are saying. He went to school. He is an educated man,” she said. “But if the judge had evidence, what can I say now?”

Sanjay is Malati’s only son. Raised alongside three elder sisters and a younger sister, Sanjay grew up in the narrow lanes of Bhowanipore. After the death of their father during their childhood, Malati, who had lost nine children in the past, single-handedly raised the living ones, ensuring they received an education. 

Sanjay studied at the local Chakraberia High School excelling in sports during his early years. Although he didn’t pursue college, he earned a position as a civic volunteer with Kolkata police, making her mother proud. 

But life did not unfold as they had hoped. “His marriage didn’t last long, and after that, he changed. He became quiet and seemed perpetually sad,” Malati recalled. Since his arrest, allegations about Sanjay’s character have surfaced, painting him as a womanizer, a porn addict, and a serial abuser—claims Malati fiercely denies. 

“People curse us and wish us harm. But I know my son. He isn’t capable of such things,” she insisted, sitting in her modest home in Sambhunath Pandit Street, not far from her eldest daughter Sabita’s residence.

Sabita, too, has struggled under the weight of her brother’s conviction. “I haven’t left my house since the day Sanjay was arrested,” admitted Sabita, who is unfortunately bearing the burden of being the eldest sister to her brother. She longs for this chapter of her life to end, eager to move on. But for Malati, the pain is deeper and enduring.

When asked about the possibility of Sanjay facing the death penalty, Malati’s voice trembled with resignation. “I know my son could be hanged. But I pray the judge carefully examines all the evidence. Judges are like gods they decide what is best for society.”