On Saturday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) handed over all documents related to the alleged financial irregularities at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This transfer was carried out under court orders.
Former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, appeared at the CBI Special Crime Branch office in the Central Government Offices Complex (CGO) in Salt Lake, Kolkata. This follows the Calcutta High Court’s decision on Friday to transfer the investigation of financial irregularities, previously managed by the SIT, to the CBI.
The High Court also granted the CBI permission to conduct polygraph tests on Ghosh and five others connected to the case, including four doctors who dined with the deceased doctor on the day of the incident, and one civic volunteer. The decision came in response to a petition by Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of the hospital, who alleged financial misconduct and unethical practices by Ghosh.
The CBI has been given three weeks to report progress on the investigation, with a deadline set for September 17. This investigation also encompasses the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the hospital.
In a related development, Sealdah Court remanded Sanjay Roy, the main suspect in the rape and murder case, to 14 days of judicial custody. Roy’s custody will continue under CBI supervision until September 6, 2024.
Additionally, the Supreme Court directed that security at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be taken over by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to bolster security amid ongoing protests in West Bengal. This order aims to ensure public order following the trainee doctor’s death, discovered in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9.