Krishnanagar, Jan. 10: In a poignant transformation of personal tragedy into a mission for the public good, the parents of the trainee doctor whose life was cut short at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last August, have announced the establishment of a semi-charitable hospital in Nadia district.
The decision, made public on Saturday, marks a significant shift for the bereaved family from Sodepur, who seek to channel their profound grief into a social commitment that ensures their daughter’s name remains synonymous with healing rather than the brutality that claimed her life.
To give form to this vision, the couple has constituted a formal trust comprising themselves and a close-knit circle of friends who have stood in solidarity with them throughout their ordeal. The search for a site concluded on Saturday when the family visited Krishnanagar to inspect potential locations. In an act of significant philanthropy, Asit Saha, a businessman and independent councillor of the Krishnanagar Municipality, came forward to donate a plot of land and a partially constructed structure situated alongside National Highway-12 in the Mayanagar–Bahadurpur area. Saha, moved by the cause, stated that it was a privilege to dedicate the land to a girl who was “like a daughter” to the community, ensuring her memory lives on through the service of others.
The initiative is being viewed by the family not merely as a medical project, but as a “landmark of protest” and a continuation of their quest for justice. Speaking on the site, Abhaya’s father expressed that the mission has become the family’s primary reason for survival. He noted that while they had previously refused all forms of government compensation and private financial aid following the tragedy, they would now invite well-wishers to contribute to this specific cause as a tribute to his daughter. The couple intends to invest their own life savings into the project, supplemented by contributions from those who participated in the widespread “Abhaya Movement” that sought greater safety for healthcare workers.
The proposed multi-speciality hospital will focus on serving the financially underprivileged, providing quality treatment at a nominal cost. The plan, initially suggested by senior journalist and family friend Swapan Bhowmik, has already garnered significant institutional support. The Krishnanagar unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has been operating a weekly “Abhaya Clinic” for the past two years, has pledged to provide free medical services once the facility becomes operational. During a meeting on Saturday, where Abhaya’s mother was presented with a clay model of Goddess Durga, members of the medical fraternity, including gynaecologist Jatan Ray Chaudhuri, assured the parents that the local doctors would stand by the project as a matter of professional and moral duty.
This endeavor follows the dark events of August 9, 2024, when the postgraduate trainee was murdered while on duty, an incident that sparked a global outcry and a demand for systemic reform. As the trust begins the work of translating this dream into reality, the outskirts of Krishnanagar stand to become a site where a legacy of pain is overwritten by a legacy of care.