‘Move To Save Sandip Ghosh’: BJP Cries Foul As Bengal Forms SIT To Probe RG Kar Irregularities

The West Bengal government on Monday announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of financial irregularities at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital since 2021 when it was under the supervision of ‘controversial’ Principal Sandip Ghosh, who stepped down days after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the hospital premises earlier this month. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to the development by calling it “Mamata Banerjee’s move to save Ghosh” and also raised a few concerns.

Party’s media cell in-charge and spokesperson Amit Malviya took to X expressing concerns about the ability of top police officials’ ability to probe “financial irregularities” effectively and wrote, “Now, WB Govt constitutes a SIT to probe allegations of financial irregularities by Dr Sandeep Ghosh, the disgraced Principal of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. 4 IPS officers are part of the SIT. How are police officers equipped to investigate financial crimes?”

“This is nothing but Mamata Banerjee’s move to save Ghosh. WB Police will arrest Sandeep Ghosh, just in time, to stop CBI from taking him in custody. Unless Mamata Banerjee resigns, free and fair probe in the rape and murder of the lady doctor is not possible. She must resign now,” he added.

IPS Officers In SIT

The SIT, according to sources in the state government, will be headed by Pranab Kumar, Inspector General (Training), who will be assisted by Syed Waquar Raza, Deputy Inspector General of Murshidabad Range, Soma Mitra Das, DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Indira Mukherjee, Deputy Commission (Central Division) of Kolkata Police.

The state’s home department issued a notification stating that the SIT has been formed “to conduct inquiry/investigation into the allegations of financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital during the period between January 2021 and till date.

Political circles in the state are surprised by this sudden development since despite several complaints of financial irregularities against Ghosh, the state government never initiated any investigation against him.

Background

The SIT has been formed at a time when Ghosh is being interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the RG Kar case for the past four days.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya claimed that the SIT has been formed because Ghosh might have revealed many secrets to the CBI during his grilling for the past few days.

Earlier on Monday, the Calcutta High Court postponed the hearing on a plea filed by Ghosh seeking police protection.

The hearing was postponed to Wednesday because the submission and exchange of affidavits among all the concerned parties in the case is yet to be completed. Ghosh is currently on leave after the Calcutta High Court last week gave a clear instruction to the state Health Department not to appoint Ghosh, who stepped down as the principal of RG Kar last Monday, as the head of any medical college in the state until further orders.

Notably, hours after resigning as the principal of RG Kar citing “moral responsibility”, Ghosh was appointed as the principal of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH), triggering protests by the medical students and junior doctors of CNMCH.

(With IANS inputs)