Bengal govt forms SIT to probe corruption charges at RG Kar during Sandip Ghosh's tenure

The West Bengal government on Monday evening announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of financial irregularities at the state-run R.G. 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 junior doctor on the hospital premises earlier this month.

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 R.G. 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.

The SIT has been formed at a time when Ghosh is being interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the R.G. 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 R.G. Kar last Monday, as the head of any medical college in the state until further orders.

Notably, hours after resigning as the principal of R.G. 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.