The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday submitted its status report to the Supreme Court regarding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The report revealed that the crime scene had been tampered with and that the victim’s family was misled into believing their daughter’s death was a suicide.
During the hearing of the trainee doctor’s rape and murder case, which was conducted by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, highlighted the delay in filing the FIR.
Mehta stated, “The most shocking fact is that the first FIR was registered at 11:45 pm, after the cremation had already taken place. The parents were initially told it was a suicide, then a death, and it was only after the doctor’s friends at the hospital insisted on videography that suspicions arose and the situation became apparent.”
“As we entered the fifth day of the investigation, everything was altered, including the crime scene,” he said.
The lie-detector test on accused Sanjoy Roy, a civil volunteer with Kolkata Police, arrested in connection with the gruesome incident, was yet to be conducted, the CBI told the court.
The CBI reported that it discovered lapses of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital authorities in handling the case with sensitivity. The agency noted that, despite being aware of the necessary protocols for such cases, the hospital officials dismissed Dr. Sandip Ghosh from his position as principal and failed to fully protect the crime scene.
The Supreme Court was informed that Dr. Ghosh did not take any proactive measures even after being informed about the rape and murder.
The CBI is also examining the renovation work near the crime scene and questioning Dr. Ghosh in this regard. Additionally, the agency is investigating the delay in the registration of the FIR in the case.
On August 9, the semi-naked body of the trainee doctor, a second-year postgraduate student, was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Several protests against the trainee doctor’s rape and murder have been held across the country, including Kolkata, demanding action against the culprits and strict laws to curb such crimes.
In response to the public outcry, Dr. Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, resigned from his position due to the incident and was transferred to the prestigious Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital amid ongoing protests. However, this decision was later revoked following widespread criticism.