Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case Highlights: CBI names RG Kar Hospital ex-principal Sandip Ghosh in corruption FIR, slaps non-bailable sections

A new video has emerged showing former principal Sandip Ghosh, his lawyer, police, and private security personnel in the seminar room where a junior doctor’s body was found on August 9. This has led opposition parties and family members to allege destruction of evidence.

Jagannath Chattopadhyay, BJP West Bengal general secretary, has aid, “The video clearly shows outsiders roaming around in what is called the place of occurrence. Why did the police allow them inside the seminar room where the rape and murder took place? It is clear that the evidence has been destroyed.”

Indira Mookherjee, Deputy Commissioner of Police, defended the police actions, saying, “The area was cordoned off using curtains immediately after the body was found. No one apart from the family was allowed within 40 feet of the PO.”

She clarified that the video depicted individuals outside the secured area. Lawyer Santanu Dey commented on the situation, stating he was present to visit the orthopedic department and was not involved in any tampering. Meanwhile, Debasish Som, a forensic medicine demonstrator, and Ghosh are under CBI interrogation. TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar remarked, “This is people's instinct. If anything happens, everyone gathers.” The controversy continues to escalate as questions arise regarding the police's handling of the crime scene.

Amid claims by the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Police of potential disruptions, student organisation Chhatra Samaj insisted that their August 27 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally will be peaceful and focused on demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the arrest of those responsible for the rape-murder of a doctor in R G Kar hospital.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Chhatra Samaj spokesperson Sayan Lahiri said, "The claims made by the TMC and police are baseless. We aim to raise our demands peacefully. If we are stopped, we will attempt to proceed to the state secretariat, Nabanna, gate in a non-violent manner to demand the CM's resignation due to her failure to prevent incidents like the RG Kar case, which has shocked the nation." Lahiri clarified that the rallies, which will start from College Square, Fort William, and Santragachhi at noon and move towards Nabanna, is organised by an apolitical platform with no affiliations to the BJP, RSS, or ABVP.

Lambasting the West Bengal government for its alleged failure to implement crucial safety measures for women and girls, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi has said the state has not taken any step to start the remaining 11 fast track special courts in spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases.

In a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Devi criticized the West Bengal government for failing to implement key emergency helplines such as the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline.

Asserting these services are essential for providing immediate assistance to victims of violence, she said the state has yet not integrated them despite multiple reminders from the Central government.

This lapse, Devi argued, deprives the women and children in West Bengal of critical support in times of distress.

In a pointed rebuke, she highlighted the state's inability to operationalize the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) allocated to it under a centrally sponsored scheme despite a significant backlog of cases related to sexual offenses.

In the letter dated August 25, the minister emphasized the urgency of implementing stringent legal frameworks and judicial processes to ensure the safety and security of the women and children in West Bengal. PTI

On Sunday, the CBI launched simultaneous search operations on the premises of Ghosh, Vashisth and 13 others in and around Kolkata in connection with their probe into alleged financial irregularities in the medical establishment, officials said.

The anti-corruption unit of the CBI also searched the residences and offices of those engaged in supplying materials for the management and care of patients.

According to a complaint lodged by Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of RGKMCH, Ghosh, during his tenure as the principal of the hospital, along with his associates, had issued tenders for the construction of food stalls, cafes, canteens, and urinals without the permission of the health department and the college council.

Senior West Bengal Minister and TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya described the proposed 'Nabanna Abhijan' rally on Tuesday by a student outfit called Chhatra Samaj, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at R G Kar hospital, as "illegal and an attempt to incite widespread unrest in Kolkata".

At a press conference here on Monday, Bhattacharya claimed that the rally has been called without police permission and suggested it was part of a plan by some elements to disrupt peace and stability in the state.

PTI

This morning, CBI officials started questioning former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh and ex-medical superintendent and vice principal Sanjay Vashisth in connection with their ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities in the institute.

Dr Ghosh, whose Beliaghata residence was searched by CBI officers on Sunday, appeared at the central agency's office in Salt Lake on Monday morning with files and documents.

The recent rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata has led many to draw parallels with Aruna — on how little has changed for women, including the safety and security of women health workers in public hospitals. During a recent suo motu hearing on the Kolkata incident, Supreme Court Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud made a reference to the Aruna Shanbaug incident when he said, “Due to ingrained patriarchal biases, the relatives of patients are more likely to attack the women doctors and they are more susceptible to sexual violence too… the Aruna Shanbaug case is a case in point.”

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Prohibitory orders issued by the Kolkata police near the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital stands extended for an additional week, until August 31.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar has announced a series of programmes from August 28 to Septemeber 4 to protest the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at a state-run RG Kar Hospital.

August 29: Party activists will gherao the district magistrate's office in every district at noon

September 2: Protests will be held outside the administrative offices in every block

On September 4, a 'chakka jam' will be observed everywhere in the state stalling the movement of traffic for one hour

An officer’s office in the corner of the jail was prepared for the lie-detection test, with tables and files cleared out. “The CBI officers wanted a soundproof room for the polygraph test. We cleared a room meant for a senior jail officer. That is the one where the least noise comes out. We also tried to make it as soundproof as possible, bolting the doors and windows. We have cleared the table of files, computers and everything and decked up the room for the test,” said a Presidency central jail senior official.

The call for August 27 Nabanna Abhiyan — Nabanna is the state secretariat in Howrah – has been given by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj. While the outfit claims to be apolitical, BJP leaders have backed the protest.

The Calcutta High Court denied a request to block the planned protest march stating that the fundamental right to peaceful protest cannot be restricted.

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The CBI has two investigations in full swing in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital -- One into the rape and murder at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 and the other investigating the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run hospital.

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