The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, in connection with alleged financial misconduct at the institution. This arrest marks the second significant development in the ongoing investigation following the horrific crime that occurred 24 days prior, where a woman doctor was raped and murdered at the hospital.
Along with Ghosh, the CBI also apprehended three other individuals: his security guard, Afsar Ali Khan, and two vendors, Biplav Singha and Sumon Hazra, who supplied materials to the hospital. These arrests were made shortly after Ghosh was taken into custody, signaling a widening probe into the hospital’s financial dealings and the tragic death of the woman doctor.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier ordered the transfer of the investigation into the financial irregularities from a state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI on August 23. This decision came in response to a petition filed by Dr. Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of RG Kar Hospital, who had called for an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into various allegations of corruption during Ghosh’s tenure.
Dr. Sandip Ghosh was subjected to extensive questioning by the CBI, with this being his 15th day of interrogation at the agency’s Salt Lake office in relation to the rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor. Following the questioning, Ghosh was taken to the CBI’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata, where he was formally arrested by the agency’s anti-corruption wing.
This arrest is the latest in a series of actions taken in connection with the RG Kar Hospital case. Earlier, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested by the Kolkata Police and later handed over to the CBI, making Ghosh’s arrest the second significant one in the case.
The corruption allegations against Sandip Ghosh are severe. Dr. Akhtar Ali had previously raised concerns that the rampant corruption at RG Kar Hospital might be connected to the murder of the doctor, speculating that she might have uncovered these corrupt activities and was possibly silenced for threatening to expose them. Ali had also lodged complaints with the state vigilance commission and the anti-corruption bureau over a year ago, but he claimed these efforts yielded no results and led to his own transfer from the institution instead.
In his plea to the Calcutta High Court, Dr. Akhtar Ali accused Ghosh of various corrupt practices, including the illegal sale of unclaimed corpses, trafficking of biomedical waste, and awarding tenders in exchange for commissions from medical and equipment suppliers. Additionally, Ali alleged that students were pressured to pay between ₹5 and 8 lakh to pass their exams.
A day after the corruption case was handed over to the CBI, the agency filed an FIR against Sandip Ghosh on August 24, charging him under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy) in conjunction with Section 420 IPC (cheating and dishonesty) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. These charges are non-bailable and carry significant legal consequences.
The CBI has also registered cases against several entities, including M/s Ma Tara Traders of Madhya Jorehat, Banipur, Howrah, M/s Eshan Café of Belgachhia, Kolkata, and M/s Khama Louha, as part of their investigation. Moreover, Ghosh has undergone two rounds of polygraph tests as the CBI continues to probe both the financial irregularities and the tragic death at RG Kar Hospital.
As the investigation progresses, the case continues to draw significant public and legal attention, with many awaiting further developments in what has become a high-profile case in West Bengal.
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