Former principal Sandip Ghosh ordered renovations and repairs to be carried out at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, a day after the body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was discovered there on 9th August. The letter which was addressed to the Public Works Department (PWD) was written on 10th August. It asked PWD to repair, renovate and reconstruct on-duty doctors’ rooms in multiple departments of the institution and was undersigned by him.
Sandip Ghosh who was ousted from his position after massive backlash sent the letter which read, “I would like to inform you that there is a deficiency of on-duty doctors’ rooms and separate attached toilets in various departments of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. You are hereby requested to do the needful immediately as per the demand of resident doctors of the hospital. The issue has already been discussed and resolved in the meeting with the Principal Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare Government of West Bengal and Director of Medical Education, Department of Health & Family Welfare Government of West Bengal today in the board room of the hospital. Please do the needful immediately.”
The subject of the letter highlighted, “Repair/renovation/reconstruction of on-duty doctors’ rooms along with separate attached toilets in all departments of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata on urgent basis,” pointing out the urgency of the matter.
Shocking news !!
— Keya Ghosh (@keyakahe) September 5, 2024
This letter clearly shows that the arrested ex principal of RG Kar Hospital Sandip Ghosh had ordered for repair/renovation of toilet near the seminar room, just ONE day after the ghastly crime !
This clearly means the claim made by TMC, the hospital and… pic.twitter.com/iSOFcL0LpG
The opposition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party charged that attempts were being made to tamper with evidence at the crime scene after the remodeling work was discovered. Notably, the Calcutta High Court had already slammed the state government and questioned the urgency to renovate portions of the emergency building’s third floor, where the horrifying crime transpired. Additionally, it ordered that the state government respond to accusations that critical evidence was destroyed during renovations around the third-floor seminar hall of the emergency building’s chest department.
“Is it so important to provide a restroom within 12 hours to meet urgency? You go to any district court complex and see if ladies have any restrooms. I say this with responsibility. What has the PWD done? See the condition of the restrooms in the court complexes,” the high court had questioned to which the government’s lawyer responded, “All these allegations that the place of occurrence (of the crime) has been demolished, destroyed, nothing is correct. The demolition work that happened was not near the place of occurrence.”
When the victim’s family members disclosed that the hospital authorities had informed them the woman had committed suicide, Sandip Ghosh’s involvement in the alleged attempts to downplay and cover up the case came under scrutiny. According to the victim’s father, they had to wait more than three hours to see their daughter’s body. Sandip Ghosh was eventually arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the evening of 2nd September for his reported involvement in financial misconduct including selling unclaimed bodies, extortion from students and kickbacks from medicine suppliers at the establishment.
Concerns over workplace safety led to widespread protests by healthcare professionals around the nation when the 31-year-old doctor was brutally raped and killed inside the hospital’s seminar hall. Sanjay Roy, a community volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was taken into custody regarding the case. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government has been under fire since the shocking instance surfaced as her administration vehemently tried to cover up the matter, curb the agitation and even attack the protestors.
In Kolkata, doctors are continuing their strike demanding justice and a large number of common people have also joined in.
