On Tuesday (27th August), the parents of the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder victim, Abhaya, expressed concerns about the crime scene stating that it was “tampered with”. The development comes days after the CBI stated in the Supreme Court that the crime scene was “altered” while submitting a status report in the investigation of the rape-murder case.
Abhaya’s parents now claim crime scene was tampered with pic.twitter.com/AbiB71wW3N
— Akshita Nandagopal (@Akshita_N) August 27, 2024
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the parents also expressed disappointment with the investigation and lamented that it’s a cover-up.
“It’s a cover-up. It’s a setup. The crime scene was tampered with,” the parents were quoted by India Today TV. According to the channel’s reportage, the parents said that they believe that the real culprit is still out there.
Conspicuously, yesterday a leaked CCTV footage surfaced on social media in which many outsiders were seen in the Seminar hall of RG Kar Hospital, which is said to be the crime scene in this case. The individuals seen in the video included police, a lawyer of the hospital Shantanu Dey, and hospital staff, but not the victim’s family members.
The leaked CCTV footage and presence of several individuals raised questions and apprehensions about the crime scene getting altered and evidence tampering. However, the Kolkata Police denied these charges triggered after the video surfaced on social media. The Police said that there was no breach and the crime scene was cordoned off.
According to reports, the arrested rape accused, Sanjoy Roy used a bike which was registered under the name of Kolkata Commissioner of Police. While the Kolkata Police have clarified by saying that all official vehicles are registered in the name of the Police Commissioner, India Today reported that it is under CBI scanner.
Another major development unfolded in the case on Tuesday as a Kolkata court granted CBI permission to conduct a polygraph test on Anup Dutta, an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) with the Kolkata Police, in relation to the RG Kar Hospital case.
The CBI is probing whether Dutta played a role in covering up the crime. Officials have indicated that Dutta may have extended various favours to the prime suspect, Sanjay Roy. They are examining if the accused Roy disclosed details of the crime to Dutta and if he received any assistance in concealing it.
Earlier in the day, the CBI completed polygraph tests on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the RG Kar Medical College. Notably, it was the third day of subjecting him to a series of Deception Detection Tests (DDT).
On Saturday, he underwent a Layered Voice Analysis test which was followed by a polygraph test on Monday. The officials said that the test on Monday could not be completed, so it was resumed on Tuesday.
RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case
Earlier this month, on 9th August, the semi-naked body of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata. Later, her autopsy report confirmed that she was raped before the murder.
Subsequently, a civic volunteer was arrested in this case on the next day. Following the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the case was transferred from the Kolkata Police to the CBI which is currently probing the case.