The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the investigation into alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata during the tenure of former principal Sandip Ghosh. The action comes following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, which transferred the case from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI.
Officials reported that the CBI collected the necessary documents from the SIT on Saturday and proceeded to re-register the First Information Report (FIR). This move was in response to a petition by Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of RG Kar Medical College, who requested a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged financial misconduct during Ghosh’s tenure.
The college has recently been under intense scrutiny following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the campus on August 9. This tragic incident has further spotlighted the ongoing investigation into the financial irregularities, with the high court directing the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for September 17 to review the findings.
A delegation of protesting doctors, who visited the CBI office in Kolkata on Friday, was informed that details of the case could not be disclosed due to the court-monitored nature of the investigation. In a related development, accused Sanjay Roy was sent to 14-day judicial custody after being produced in Sealdah Court in Kolkata.
In another development, the Calcutta High Court denied a request to block a planned protest march to the West Bengal state secretariat on August 27, emphasizing the fundamental right to peaceful protest.
The parents of the deceased trainee doctor have expressed their confidence in the CBI investigation, suggesting that they may join the students’ demonstration at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “From the outset, we felt the (state) administration and police were trying to shield someone, trying to hide something as one person cannot be involved in such a crime,” the father told reporters. “The Kolkata Police tried to misguide us in the case…We have confidence in the CBI probe,” he added.