SIT to probe graft charges during ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh’s tenure
The four-member SIT, which will be headed by IGP Pranav Kumar, has been asked to submit its report within a month of its constitution.
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Sandip Ghosh at the CBI office on Monday. (PTI Photo)The West Bengal government on Monday announced setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into alleged financial irregularities at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital from January 2021.
The period corresponds to the tenure of Dr Sandip Ghosh, who joined as the principal of the medical college in mid-2021.
Ghosh resigned as the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, following protests over the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor inside the seminar hall of the institution on August 9.
Ghosh is currently being questioned by the CBI in connection with the rape and murder incident. On Monday, he was questioned for 13 hours for the fourth straight day.
The four-member SIT will be headed by Inspector General of Police Pranav Kumar. DIG (Murshidabad) Waquar Reza, DIG (CID) Soma Das Mitra and DC (Central), Kolkata Police, Indira Mukherjee will be the three other members of the SIT.
The SIT has been asked to submit its report to the government within a month of its constitution. A notification issued by the State Home Department stated: “The SIT will have liberty to access any relevant document from government departments and private agencies required for expeditious completion of inquiry… The SIT will requisition the services of other officers and staff as and when required from Police Directorate/Kolkata Police.”
Sources in the state Home Department said the SIT probe has nothing to do with the rape and murder incident at RG Kar Hospital. “The CBI is investigating the rape and murder case. It is not related to financial irregularities at the hospital,” said a senior Home Department official.
An orthopedic professor, Ghosh’s tenure at RG Kar Hospital was marked by controversies.
In the past, faculty members leveled serious allegations against Ghosh, including misappropriation of funds and irregularities in procurement processes.
Ghosh was transferred on two occasions, only to be quickly reinstated. In May last year, he was transferred to Murshidabad Medical College, but the state health department revoked it within 48 hours. In the second instance, he was transferred again to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital only to return to RG Kar within a month. In September 2023, there was a ragging incident in the college hostel. Even then the fingers were pointed at trainee doctors close to Ghosh. Ghosh was transferred to Murshidabad Medical College on September 11. By October, he was back at RG Kar Hospital.
Hours after he stepped down as the principal of RG Kar Medical College on August 12 citing “moral responsibility”, Ghosh was appointed principal of Calcutta National Medical College, triggering further outrage.
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