KOLKATA: The Sealdah court has remanded Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and Abhijit Mondal, Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station, to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody until September 17, in connection with the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
The CBI arrested Ghosh and Mondal on Saturday night, accusing them of tampering with evidence. Mondal is also charged with delaying the registration of the FIR, among other offences.
"We have got their custody for three days till September 17. Now, both will be questioned together. The duo has played vital roles in the RG Kar case," the CBI told PTI.
According to the CBI, the police officer was detained after he “failed to provide satisfying answers” during questioning on Saturday. The central agency claimed that Dr Ghosh was in contact with Mondal and gave instructions on how to handle the rape and murder case.
Both Ghosh and Mondal allegedly attempted to "downplay the incident" and "shield" the crime, the CBI informed the court.
These arrests mark the first by the CBI in relation to the rape and murder of the trainee doctor, following the earlier arrest of civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy by Kolkata Police, just one day after the crime. Roy was charged with both the rape and murder.
It is important to note that Ghosh had already been arrested by the CBI in connection with financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and is currently in judicial custody for that case.
The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in a semi-naked condition on the fourth floor of the hospital’s seminar hall on 9 August 2024. A medical examination revealed that the victim had sustained external and internal injuries due to sexual assault and was murdered.
So far, three individuals have been arrested in connection with the brutal rape and murder.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, junior and senior doctors, along with people from all walks of life, protested against the incident. The demonstration followed the junior doctors' inability to speak with the Chief Minister to resolve the ongoing deadlock.
According to the junior doctors, the Chief Minister is reluctant to engage in talks, despite their willingness to do so. The stalemate between the junior doctors and the state government has continued for three days, with disputes surrounding the live streaming of the meeting.
After the Chief Minister’s speech outside her Kalighat residence, doctors expressed their readiness to meet, emphasising that the minutes of the meeting should be recorded.
However, state government officials remarked that they had waited for two hours for the junior doctors to arrive, indicating the prolonged nature of the standoff.
In court, the CBI further alleged that "there could be a bigger conspiracy" at play, with Ghosh and Mondal being key figures. The two were reportedly in communication, with Ghosh instructing Mondal on how to proceed with the case.
Mondal was informed about the doctor’s death at approximately 10 am on August 9, but the FIR was not lodged until around 11 pm, according to the CBI. The agency argued that the police should have treated the case as a suo motu (on its own motion) case from the outset, given the gravity of the rape and murder incident.
Ghosh was initially arrested by the CBI on September 2 in connection with financial irregularities at the hospital.
The body of the trainee doctor was discovered in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital on August 9. To date, three individuals have been arrested in connection with the case.
