Kolkata, August 10: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has ordered a fresh investigation into the tragic case involving the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. This directive comes in light of the controversial circumstances surrounding the cremation process that took place in August 2024.
The body of the female junior doctor was discovered on the morning of August 9, 2024, in the seminar hall of the government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had been raped and murdered on the night of August 8, 2024.
Following the incident, the victim’s family and fellow junior doctors accused authorities of hastily completing the post-mortem and documentation processes. They claimed that the cremation was rushed at a crematorium in Panihati, located in the North 24 Parganas district, which is also the victim’s ancestral home.
Allegations surfaced that the cremation was conducted under the supervision of Sandeep Ghosh, the then-principal of RG Kar Medical College, former Trinamool Congress MLA Nirmal Ghosh, and several senior Kolkata police officials. This was purportedly done to prevent the body from being available for a second post-mortem.
During a memorial event for the victim in Panihati on Sunday, Chief Minister Adhikari announced the reopening of the investigation into the cremation events. He stated that the inquiry would be overseen by the current police commissioner of the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, which has jurisdiction over Panihati.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need to investigate the roles of three individuals—Nirmal Ghosh, Somnath Dey, and Sanjeev Mukherjee—who were present at the crematorium during the incident. He has ordered a separate case to be registered for this investigation, which will run alongside the ongoing CBI inquiry under court supervision. The Barrackpore police commissioner has been instructed to take necessary actions.
Adhikari raised several pertinent questions that remain unanswered. Why was no fee charged for the cremation? How was the cremation conducted without the signature of any family member? These aspects will also be re-examined.
The Chief Minister stated that this case warrants a renewed investigation by the state police.
Just a day earlier, on Saturday, the state’s Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee announced that while the CBI continues its investigation into the RG Kar rape and murder case, the West Bengal Health Department will also conduct an independent inquiry, given that the victim was a female junior doctor.
He mentioned that the health department would share its findings with the CBI. The department plans to question individuals who were present in the seminar hall of the hospital before and after the incident on the night of August 8, 2024. Additionally, professors who taught the victim will also be interrogated.
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