KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered a CBI probe into the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College, and directed its erstwhile principal Dr Sandip Ghosh not to join duty in another hospital till further orders.
The orders came a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought to buy time to hand over the case to the CBI, saying she would wait for the police to crack it till Sunday before she takes the call.
A division bench led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam urged the agitating doctors in the state to call off their cease-work protest, saying they have a “pious obligation” to treat patients who come to government hospitals. Junior doctors and interns across West Bengal ceased work since Friday, when the body of the victim was found, demanding justice for her, an impartial CBI probe and adequate protection to all the hospital staff.
The bench observed that five days after the horrific incident, no significant progress had been made in the investigation by the Kolkata Police. The state’s counsel submitted that one person has been arrested and statements of more than 25 people have been recorded.
The bench also ticked off Dr Ghosh for not being proactive in dealing with the murder that happened under his watch as principal. While he resigned as principal on Monday, hours later he was appointed principal of the Calcutta National Medical College. The court was appalled at the alacrity with which he was rehabilitated by the state government and directed him to go on long leave.
Protesting junior doctors of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital did not let Dr Ghosh join duty on Tuesday. ‘Go back’ slogans rent the air as Trinamool Congress MLA Javed Khan accompanied him to the campus but the students did not allow Dr Ghosh to enter the principal’s room.
CBI takes over probe
The CBI on Tuesday took over the probe and its team from Delhi, along with forensic scientists and medical experts, will visit Kolkata on Wednesday
Next hearing in 3 weeks
The city police has to hand over all papers on the case to the CBI today. The case will be heard again after three weeks, when the CBI will submit its progress report
