CBI arrests former RG Kar medical college principal amid corruption, Kolkata murder-rape case

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has placed Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, in judicial custody until September 23. Ghosh is under investigation for alleged financial irregularities during his tenure. Along with him, his security personnel Afsar Ali and contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra have also been remanded to custody for the same period.

The CBI took over the investigation from the state’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a directive from the Calcutta High Court. The agency may seek an extension of custody if new evidence emerges. This development coincides with ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a female doctor from the institution.

Murder of doctor potentially tied to corruption

The investigation intensified following the discovery of a woman doctor’s body, who had been raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College. Investigators suspect a possible link between the murder and the financial irregularities. Ghosh had ordered the partial demolition of a restroom near the crime scene shortly before his arrest, sparking concerns that vital evidence may have been destroyed.

Corruption, murder probe widens

A petition by Dr. Akhtar Ali, a former deputy superintendent at the hospital, has urged an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the financial misconduct, hinting that the murdered doctor may have known about the corruption and posed a risk to those involved. The CBI is now investigating both the financial crimes and the circumstances of the doctor’s murder.

Ghosh was arrested on September 2 after several rounds of questioning. As the investigation progresses, the CBI faces growing pressure to establish any links between Ghosh’s alleged financial misdeeds and the tragic death of the woman doctor.