The Kolkata Police have registered a corruption case against Sandip Ghosh, the former Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the body of a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor was found after she was raped and murdered.
The state police is probing financial irregularities at the state-run hospital, a matter that has been under scrutiny since a complaint was lodged in June.
The West Bengal government escalated matters by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to delve into the allegations that have plagued RG Kar Medical College and Hospital since 2021. The SIT, headed by Inspector General Pranab Kumar, includes top officials like Deputy Inspector General Syed Waquar Raza, DIG Soma Mitra Das of the CID, and Deputy Commissioner Indira Mukherjee of the Kolkata Police.
This team has been tasked with investigating financial misconduct during Mr Ghosh’s tenure, which has attracted significant controversy following the rape and murder of the junior doctor inside the hospital premises on August 9.
Mr Ghosh, who resigned as the principal of RG Kar Medical College just two days after the incident, has been under scrutiny by the CBI and questioned for nearly 53 hours over the past four days regarding his actions following the doctor’s death.
Questions have been raised about his delay in informing the victim’s parents and his decisions regarding renovations near the crime scene. The CBI’s investigation has already led to the arrest of an accused, Sanjay Roy, and the agency is now exploring whether others were involved in the crime.
Despite Mr Ghosh’s resignation, the controversy surrounding him continues to unfold. The Calcutta High Court has intervened, instructing the state Health Department not to appoint Mr Ghosh to any other medical college until further notice. This order followed his brief and contentious appointment as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, which was met with protests from students and junior doctors.
