Kolkata doctor rape case: 5 questions CBI asked ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh

Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, was questioned by the CBI for several hours on Saturday, marking the second consecutive day of interrogation.

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This questioning is part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run medical facility. Here are the five questions CBI asked ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh:

1. After Friday's grilling, which continued until early Saturday, Ghosh was again summoned to the CBI office for another round of questioning. In the latest round of questioning, he was quizzed about his whereabouts on the night of the death of the postgraduate trainee, who called him to inform about the incident and his primary reaction to it, the officials told PTI.

2. The CBI investigators also cross-checked Dr. Sandip Ghosh's account with testimonies from doctors, interns, and nurses who were on duty at the hospital that night.

3. During the initial round of interrogation, the former principal was questioned about his immediate reaction upon hearing the news of the doctor's death. He was asked whom he instructed to inform the family, and how and who contacted the police.

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4. “Certain answers were convoluted. He was grilled till early Saturday and then allowed to leave for home before he was asked to appear again,” a CBI officer told PTI.

5. At RG Kar Hospital, investigators collected samples and sent them to the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory for testing. The same team later visited Roy’s rented residence on Sambhunath Pandit Street in South Kolkata, where they interviewed his mother about his recent activities and took her written statement.

The officer added, “We are working on mapping all the locations he visited that day. We are also reaching out to his friends, doctors, and police officers who are acquainted with him.”

The investigation team has compiled a list of approximately 40 individuals, including doctors and police officers, to be questioned as part of the probe, with over 20 people already interviewed. Additionally, a few psychologists from New Delhi arrived in Kolkata on Saturday to participate in the questioning, according to the officer.

Dr. Sandip Ghosh had resigned from his position two days after the trainee doctor's body was discovered on August 9. During the investigation, the CBI team also inquired about the weekly roster of the chest medicine department, where the victim was reportedly scheduled for demanding 36-hour shifts, and sometimes even up to 48 hours.

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Separate teams from the central investigating agency also visited the crime scene at RG Kar Hospital and the barrack of the Kolkata Police's Armed Forces fourth battalion in Salt Lake, where the primary suspect, civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, was staying.

On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was reportedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, triggering nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community.

On Wednesday, a mob vandalized the protest site and the hospital campus at RG Kar, leading security personnel to disperse the crowd.

In response to the ongoing unrest, the Kolkata Police have imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 144 of the CrPC), around the Medical College and Hospital. This restriction will be in effect for seven days, starting from Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)