The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday took in for questioning Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in the rape and murder of a 31-year old postgraduate trainee doctor.
According to CBI sources, Ghosh has been taken to the CGO complex in Salt Lake for interrogation.
The former superintendent of the hospital Sanjiv Vashishth and the head of chest department Arunabha Dutta Chowdhury have also been summoned for questioning on Friday.
Calcutta high court had ordered a court-monitored probe into the rape and murder case on Tuesday, while severely criticising Ghosh and the state administration.
Ghosh had been summoned several times for questioning by the central probe agency, but he had been evading them. Last night a notice was served to him, which he avoided again and knocked the doors of the high court seeking protection through his legal counsel, claiming that his life was under threat.
When Ghosh’s counsel informed the court that there was a threat of his house being set on fire, the court responded: “Let him rest at home. State is with you, they will give you 4-500 police people. Or you make an application, we will give you central forces.”
Several students and even former Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP and former spokesperson Shantanu Sen had alleged that Ghosh ran the college through his coterie, bribes were accepted for leaking questions, and disposal of hospital waste.
Seen as close to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh had several allegations against him. After he resigned from the health service, the state government had announced that he was being transferred.
Ghosh was within hours appointed as principal of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, where the students denied him entry on Tuesday.
The same day, a division bench of the Calcutta high court led by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya had ordered Ghosh to go on leave.
The division bench had raised questions on the conduct of the authorities of the college.
“One more aspect, which is also quite disturbing is that a case of unnatural death has been registered with the Tala police station in case no. 161 of 2024 dated August 9, 2024. It is submitted that under normal circumstances, a case of unnatural death is registered when there is no complaint. When the deceased victim was a doctor working in the hospital, it is rather surprising as to why the Principal/hospital did not lodge a formal complaint. This, in our view, was a serious lapse, giving room for suspicion,” the court said in its order.
