Sandip Ghosh, the controversial former RG Kar principal on whose watch the August 9 rape and murder occurred and whose conduct the Supreme Court had said was “under scrutiny”, was arrested by the CBI on Monday in connection with alleged financial irregularities at the medical college.

The arrest comes on the 15th day of Ghosh’s questioning by the CBI, which is probing two cases — the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and alleged financial irregularities at the institution.

The CBI also arrested Afsar Ali Khan, who was Ghosh's security officer at RG Kar, and vendors Biplab Singh and Suman Hazra who used to supply materials to the hospital.

The junior doctors who have been on cease-work seeking justice for their dead
colleague had been demanding Ghosh’s arrest and his suspension by the state health department.

Ghosh had resigned a few days after the rape-murder amid the controversies swirling around him, only to be reappointed within hours as principal of the Calcutta National Medical College, the incident indicating the clout he enjoyed in the state’s health administration.

His reappointment had prompted the apex court to ask: “When the conduct
of the principal is under scrutiny, how was the same principal appointed as a
principal of another college immediately?”

Junior doctors at the rally from College Square to Lalbazar on Monday. Late into the night, the protesters were camping at BB Ganguly Street. Pradip Sanyal

Shortly after the reappointment, Calcutta High Court had sent Ghosh on “leave until further directions” and asked why, as then RG Kar principal, he had not filed a police complaint immediately after the victim’s body was found.

Agency sources said Ghosh had been called to the CBI’s office at the CGO complex in the morning after a two-day gap and questioned for several hours. A team of officers from the CBI’s anti-corruption branch then arrived at the CGO complex and took him to their Nizam Palace office. He was formally arrested around 7.30 pm, agency sources said.

“Ghosh will be produced before the CBI court in Alipore on Tuesday,” an agency official said.

The CBI, which had taken over the investigations following a Calcutta High Court directive on August 13, has drawn up an FIR against Ghosh that includes the charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He underwent a polygraph test at the CBI office last week.

Debal Kumar Ghosh, senior special secretary with the state health department, had recently filed a complaint against Ghosh with Tala police station alleging his involvement in financial irregularities at RG Kar.

Akhtar Ali, a former deputy superintendent at RG Kar, too had lodged a police complaint last year alleging financial misconduct by then principal Ghosh.

A CBI team visited Ghosh’s home at Beleghata on August 25 and conducted a search.

The junior doctors accused Ghosh of nepotism and of creating a “threat culture” at RG Kar. They alleged that Ghosh would, through his coterie, deny pass marks to students who complained about a lack of facilities at the hostels and classrooms.

“Even after his arrest, our agitation will continue,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the leaders of the protesting junior doctors.

He was speaking at a sit-in on Phears Lane, where junior doctors were stopped by the police while marching towards Lalbazar demanding the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal.

“We welcome the arrest but the health department has still not suspended Ghosh,” one of the agitating junior doctors said.

Trinamool Congress leader Santanu Sen, who is secretary of the Indian Medical Association’s Bengal branch as well as secretary of the RG Kar ex-students’ association, said he had flagged alleged corruption by Ghosh several years ago.

“I had submitted proof of my allegations to the authorities (including) the principal secretary of the health department. For some reason they could not or did not act on it. Had they done so, this situation could have been averted,” Sen said after Ghosh’s arrest.

While transferring the case to the CBI and sending Ghosh on leave, the high court division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya had last month come down heavily on Ghosh.

“The principal of the institution either by himself or by issuing appropriate directions could have lodged a complaint with the police since the death occurred within the hospital premises. This, in our view, was a clear dereliction of duty on the part of the principal,” the bench had said.

The bench questioned the “tearing urgency” with which Ghosh was appointed CNMC principal after he resigned from RG Kar.

“It is difficult to comprehend as to why when a person submits his resignation, the concerned authority of the state did not exercise the two options, which are available i.e. either to accept the resignation or to refuse to accept the resignation,” the order said.

“If this course had not been adopted and if he has been assigned another responsibility equivalent to the responsibility held by them, it would be tantamount to putting a premium. That is what exactly happened in the instant case.”