Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and the officer in charge of the Tala police station in connection with the rape-murder of a junior doctor.
Sources in the central agency told ThePrint that they had made the arrests due to delay in filing an FIR, misleading the investigation and tampering evidence.
The arrests in the gruesome rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the government run hospital now stands at three. Earlier, the Kolkata Police had arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer.
Ghosh had resigned as the principal of the RG Kar Medical College two days after the doctor’s body was found inside a seminar hall on 9 August. He is currently lodged at the Presidency Jail in Kolkata after being arrested by the CBI in a separate case related to the financial irregularities during his tenure as the R.G. Kar principal.
Abhijit Mondal, the officer in charge of the Tala police station, had earlier reached the CBI office at 3pm for interrogation. After questioning, the CBI then decided to detain him. He would be shortly taken for medical examination before being produced in court tomorrow.
At its last hearing on 9 September, the Supreme Court had mentioned that there was at least 14 hours delay in filing the FIR. The CBI, in its report to the Supreme Court, had pointed out at the crime scene being altered and samples not being collected in a proper manner for forensics.
The CJI-led bench had questioned how a challan, a document required for autopsy, was missing. It then asked the West Bengal government to present it at the next hearing.
Meanwhile, a delegation of doctors reached the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier in the day made a surprise visit to the Swasthya Bhawan to meet the protesting medicos.
Until now, the junior doctors of medical colleges across West Bengal have refused to resume work as they are seeking the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner, DCP North and DCP Central for not carrying out a proper investigation.
However, Mamata on last Monday, while addressing an administrative meeting at the Secretariat, had said the Kolkata Police chief cannot be removed despite him willing to resign as the Durga Puja was round the corner.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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The CBI must summon the Kolkata Police Commisioner for interrogation. It was under his personal supervision that the Kolkata Police officers destroyed evidence and damaged the murder site for four full days. He is personally liable for attempted cover-up. The Police Commisioner must be interrogated to find out the crux of the matter – “On whose instructions did the destruction of evidence at the site take place”?
There are sufficient reasons to believe that very senior TMC leaders and ministers are involved in this. Quite possibly, Ms. Mamata Banerjee herself.