Abhaya fund row: Doctors’ front president Aniket Mahato quits

A rift has surfaced within the Junior Doctors’ Front (JDF), a platform formed to pursue legal justice for Abhaya, the young woman doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital, over financial irregularities linked to the ‘Abhaya Fund’.

The controversy culminated on the first day of the New Year, when JDF president Aniket Mahato resigned from his post, citing deep differences and what he described as “undemocratic functioning” of the organisation. The Junior Doctors’ Front was set up by a section of Abhaya’s batchmates to keep alive the demand for justice and to support the continuing legal battle. Junior doctors Aniket Mahato, Debashis Haldar and Asfakulla Naiya were among those who initiated the ‘Abhaya Fund’ to collect money for legal expenses.

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However, within months, allegations began to surface that funds were being misused, triggering unease within the forum and among supporters of the movement.

In his resignation letter, Aniket Mahato did not conceal his dissatisfaction. He stated that the manner in which the front was functioning had deviated from democratic norms and was no longer aligned with the core objective of securing justice for Abhaya. Despite repeated attempts to raise concerns internally, he claimed his objections were ignored by the leadership. Mahato added that continuing in the post under such circumstances would amount to compromising the very principles on which the movement was founded. The case that sparked the movement continues to evoke strong emotions.

In August 2024, a woman doctor was raped and murdered inside a seminar room at RG Kar Hospital. Junior doctors launched a sustained agitation demanding justice. The Central Bureau of Investigation later took over the probe and concluded the trial within a relatively short span. Civic volunteer Sanjay Roy was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, the verdict failed to satisfy the victim’s family, relatives and friends, who alleged that key aspects of the crime were concealed and that the judicial process shielded certain individuals. As a result, the legal fight has continued in the Supreme Court, with the family seeking a more comprehensive probe.

It was to support this legal battle that the ‘Abhaya Fund’ was created. But allegations of financial impropriety and claims that the Front’s movement was losing direction intensified internal discord. Mahato, in his letter, also referred to protests he had led earlier against the transfer of himself, Debashis Haldar and Asfakulla Naiya, underscoring his continued commitment to the cause despite growing differences.

Reacting to the developments, Trinamul Congress leader Kunal Ghosh remarked that such trusts had turned into “honey pots”, leading to inevitable infighting. With Mahato’s resignation, the credibility and future course of the Junior Doctors’ Front now stand under a cloud, even as the demand for justice for Abhaya continues to resonate beyond organisational turmoil.