A senior Kolkata police officer on Monday refuted the allegations based on a video that purportedly shows people, including police officers and hospital staff, entering the seminar room of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, minutes after the body of the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered was found on August 9.
The 43-second video, which surfaced on social media, allegedly shows doctors, police officers and even private security guards who were stationed at the hospital gathering in the seminar room where the victim’s body was found.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
“The seminar room measures 51 x 32 feet. The place where the victim’s body was found in the seminar room was cordoned off with curtains. It is not likely that anyone entered this cordoned off area. The people seen gathered in the video were all outside the cordoned off area,” a senior IPS officer said while talking to reporters at the Kolkata Police headquarters.
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On August 22, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the case, informed the Supreme Court that the crime scene had been changed. The state government denied the allegations.
According to the document filed by the Calcutta Police in the Supreme Court, the victim’s body was discovered at 9:30 am on August 9, but officials from the local police station arrived at the scene only at 10:30 am. The crime scene was cordoned off to prevent contamination, police said. Officials from the Homicide Squad of the Crime Branch arrived at 11 am.
“The video shows that the crime scene had almost become a fairground. Several people are seen at the crime scene. Is it possible to secure the evidence when so many people are entering and leaving the crime scene? That is why the CBI is facing difficulty in conducting the investigation. The CBI lawyer has already mentioned this before the Supreme Court,” said Sukanta Majumdar, state president of the BJP.
“I have seen the video. It is possible that some overzealous people gathered there. Later, the police cordoned off the crime scene to prevent contamination. I am sure the culprits will be identified and punished,” State Minister Firhad Hakim told media persons.
Meanwhile, Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Debasish Shome, professor of forensic medicine at the hospital, and Dr Sanjay Vashisth, former superintendent of the hospital, were summoned by the CBI for questioning on Monday.
The agency is investigating allegations of financial irregularities that came to light during Ghosh’s tenure at RG Kar.
The federal agency searched 15 locations in Kolkata on Sunday, including the homes of the three doctors. The CBI also conducted a lie detector test on Ghosh.
