The Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and a Kolkata Police official for allegedly destroying evidence following the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the state-run health facility last month.
The other two arrested were Ghosh and Abhijit Mandal, the station house officer of the nearby Tala police station for Alleged delay in filing of FIR and missing evidence in the case. CBI had earlier arrested him over Financial irregularities at the hospital. Teams were deployed immediately to the scene of the crime after Mandal’s 31 year old doctor was found dead in the fourth floor seminar room of the hospital on the 9 th of August.
Kolkata Police arrested one person, namely a civic volunteer who purportedly had unrestricted access to the hospital but the Calcutta high court transferred the investigation to the CBI due to alleges of tampering and obliteration of the evidence. The central agency has noted that there is no precedent in the Supreme Court as well about the issue.
The CBI raised their eyebrow about Ghosh’s statement that he came to know about the crime at 10:20 am. The probe agency thought that sequence of events narrated by Mandal and Ghosh were false.
The suspicion of the probe agency increased further after the arrested accused Sanjay Roy, who nodded the Narco test, refused giving his consent for the same. subsequently a court in Kolkata dismissed such an application to perform the Narco analysis test on Roy.
They added that two more police personnel are under the scrutiny of the probe agency.
Reactions on Ghosh's arrest Union Minister and Bengal BJP Chief Sukanta Majumdar reacted on the arrest of ex-principal of RG Kar’s saying that the people of Bengal wanted this.
Talking to News18, he said: “The arrest of Sandip Ghosh and SHO in rape and murder case is demand of the people of Bengal”. He also called for the resignation of state chief minister, Mamata Banerjee and the city’s police commissioner, Vineet Goyal.
"Kolkata CP Vineet Goyal is really shameless that's why he is occupying his chair. He should have resigned long ago and this is the time I think to demand resignation from Mamata Banerjee," he said.
A protesting junior doctor said, "We have been demanding the arrest of the former principal of the college Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal, officer-in-charge of Tala police station for their involvement in tampering with the evidence. We are very happy as the CBI has arrested them. CBI should arrest others also who have tampered with the evidence…"
West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also reacted to the arrests and said that the procedural lapses were well orchestrated and closely monitored by the top officials of Kolkata Police.
"The arrest of Abhijit Mondal; Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tala Police Station (PS), has established that the Police were directly involved in tampering evidence and acted as a stimulant to create lacuna in order to derail the investigation into the Rape and Murder of the RG Kar PGT Lady Doctor. The procedural lapses were well orchestrated and closely monitored by the top officials of @KolkataPolice. @CPKolkata Vineet Goyal should be suspended immediately and Home Minister Mamata Banerjee must resign as she doesn't have any moral authority left to continue as the head of the Home Dept," he said on X.
The arrest of Abhijit Mondal; Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tala Police Station (PS), has established that the Police were directly involved in tampering evidence and acted as a stimulant to create lacuna in order to derail the investigation into the Rape and Murder of the RG Kar PGT…
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) September 14, 2024
Ghosh served as principal of RG Kar Hospital from February 2021 to September 2023. He was transferred from the medical establishment in October that year but inexplicably returned to that position within a month.
A postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and killed while she was on night shift by RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month triggering nationwide protests and 'cease work' by junior doctors.