In the case of a woman medic who was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, widespread protests have erupted among doctors and civil society, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the incident, has revealed that false records were supposedly created at the police station, according to a remand note submitted to a court in Kolkata.
On September 17, the federal agency reported that the two main suspects, Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the medical college, and Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala police station, had attempted to compromise evidence. The remand note stated, “During the custodial interrogation of both accused individuals, new and additional facts emerged indicating that false records related to this case were created or altered in PS Tala.”
The accused were presented in court on Wednesday, where they were remanded to judicial custody until September 30. They were arrested on September 14 on charges of tampering with evidence and delaying the filing of the first information report (FIR).
No comments were available from the Kolkata Police regarding the CBI’s statements. The CBI’s remand note also indicated that they had seized the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and hard disk containing CCTV footage from the police station, as well as the mobile phones of Ghosh and Mondal, which have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Kolkata for data extraction. A senior official stated, “We expect the reports within a day or two. Once we have fresh evidence from the extracted data, we may seek their custody again for further interrogation.”
The tragic case involves a 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and murdered inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, triggering national outrage. Following the incident, Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, the next day.
The remand note also mentioned that the analysis of call detail records (CDR) of both accused revealed numerous calls exchanged, which are currently under verification. The CBI has moved the court to conduct narco-analysis tests on Ghosh and polygraph tests on Mondal. Previously, the agency conducted a polygraph test on Ghosh and Roy. The CBI had sought permission for Roy’s narco-analysis test, but he declined to give consent.
On September 17, the CBI noted in its remand that Ghosh and Mondal had attempted to compromise evidence and obstruct vital data related to the case. The report stated, “Both accused facilitated the hurried cremation of the victim’s body, despite family members specifically requesting a second autopsy.” Although the victim’s body was discovered at 9:30 a.m. on August 9, the police registered the FIR with a 14-hour delay at 11:45 p.m. that same day.
Ghosh was also noted to be “willfully absent” from the crime scene on August 9 after the victim’s body was found in the hospital where he was the principal at that time. The agency stated, “It is necessary to ascertain whether he acted under the direction of any other individual as part of a larger conspiracy.” Furthermore, there was a reported delay of two days in seizing the clothing and belongings of the primary suspect, Roy, even though he was arrested on the morning of August 10.