Kolkata boy's mystery death: Grieving mom lashes out at governor's parenting sermon

KOLKATA: Rimjhim, the mother of Class XII student Aabesh Dasgupta who was killed on July 23 at an apartment complex in Kolkata, lashed out at politicians on Sunday for sermonising instead of asking police to probe the injuries that had led to the death of her son.
“I don't think anyone should comment on my par enting without knowing me, or knowing how I raised him.I wish nobody goes through the trauma I am going through. Would they still make such comments if they lose their loved ones in a similar manner?“ she told TOI. “This is like casting aspersions on the character of a woman who lodges a sexual harassment complaint. The victim is under the scanner, instead of the accused.“
Her outburst came after politicians -from Trinamool Congress minister Subrata Mukherjee to governor Keshari Nath Tripathi -made statements on better parenting while commenting on the death of the 17-year old. Governor Tripathi, on the sidelines of a book release on Sunday morning, had said: “Aaajkal ke naujawano ke lifestyle (the lifestyle of today's youngsters) is impressed by Western concepts, and that is not congenial to good atmosphere. I think the members of the family should also keep a watch on their young boys and girls.“ The governor's statement came two days after mayor Sovan Chatterjee made a Facebook post in Bengali on Friday raising questions on why parents gave a 12 to 13-year-old child a bundle of notes to party, why a Class VIII student had an expensive mobile, why he was allowed to chat with girlfriends late at night and so on.
Rimjhim said she had always treated her son like a friend. “ I think making statements on what parents should do will take the focus away from the main issue of investigation,“ she added.
Subrata Mukherjee, who is the panchayat and rural development minister, said on Sunday that parents, taking a lesson from Aabesh's death, needed to be more careful about their children.
“Parents need to be more cautious and should know where their children are going and how they are spending money,“ he said.