Doctor's rape-murder: Polygraph test on main accused, 6 others begins

 CBI initiates probe into financial irregularities in RG Kar

PTI, NEW DELHI/KOLKATA, AUG 24, 2024 : The lie detection tests on the main accused and six others in the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital began on Saturday, officials said. The polygraph test on Sanjay Roy, the main accused, is being conducted in the prison where he is lodged, while the remaining six, including former principal Sandip Ghosh and four doctors who were on duty during the night of the incident, and a civic volunteer, are undergoing the test at the agency's office in Kolkata, they said.

Ghosh arrived at the CBI's office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake on Saturday morning for the ninth consecutive day and was then taken for the test, the officials said. Those undergoing the lie detection test include two first-year postgraduate trainees, as investigators allegedly found their fingerprints inside a seminar hall at the state-run medical facility where the medic's body was discovered, an official said. A team of polygraph specialists from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Delhi has flown to Kolkata to conduct these tests, he said.

The CBI told the Supreme Court on Thursday that there was an attempt to cover up the alleged rape and killing of the post-graduate doctor by the local police, as the crime scene was altered by the time the federal agency took over the probe. The trainee doctor’s body, with severe injury marks, was found inside a seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on the morning of August 9. Roy was arrested the following day. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.

Meanwhile, the Central agency on Saturday registered a case of alleged financial irregularities at the RG Kar Medical College. The agency took over the investigation from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the West Bengal government on the directions of the Calcutta High Court. The High Court, which had already handed over the probe into the rape and murder of the medico, also transferred the probe of financial irregularities to the CBI "in the interest of ensuring a comprehensive and unbiased inquiry."

"...this Court directs that the investigation be transferred to the CBI, given that the case involved serious allegations and multiple agencies handling different aspects of the case could lead to inefficiencies or inconsistency for comprehensive justice, unnecessary delays in the judicial process, and potential misinterpretation of information thereby undermining effective and credible enforcement. Therefore, the investigation should not be fragmented between different agencies. Handing over the investigation to the CBI ensures consistency," Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj said.

The High Court directed the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. The court had earlier told the state police to hand over the case diary and necessary paperwork by Saturday at 10 am. The Central probe agency collected all the documents from the police and re-registered the FIR. According to the procedure, the CBI takes over the investigation from the state police and re-registers its FIR as its own, keeping the details unchanged. The Central agency gives its findings in the final report and submits it before a special court.

The High Court had given the directives for a CBI probe on the plea of former Deputy Superintendent of the hospital, Akhtar Ali, who had alleged financial irregularities in the hospital during the tenure of its former principal Sandip Ghosh and sought a probe by the central agencies. Ali had already filed a complaint with the state police in July 2023. The former Deputy Superintendent had given documentary evidence to corroborate the claims of massive corruption, improper utilization of government funds, selling of used hazardous bio-medical waste, and transfer of officers for monetary benefit, citing serious ramifications of such illegal activities upon public health and safety, as well as misappropriation of public funds. The state government constituted an SIT on August 16 to conduct an inquiry and investigation into the allegations of financial irregularities in R.G Kar Hospital during the period from January 2021 till date.