Kolkata: The father of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation following the Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to former hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in a financial irregularities case.
Speaking on Saturday, the victim's father stated that the investigative agency must be held accountable for its performance, questioning how the public could maintain trust if a federal agency experienced such shortcomings. He added that the government could not be directly blamed since the CBI functions as an independent investigative body.
Sandip Ghosh was originally arrested during intense widespread protests that erupted following the tragic August 9, 2024, incident at the medical facility. His release on bail by the Supreme Court followed previous rejections of his bail pleas by a special CBI court and the Calcutta High Court.
Although a Sealdah court had earlier granted him bail in December 2024 regarding the rape and murder case because the CBI failed to submit a chargesheet within the statutory 90-day window, Ghosh remained imprisoned due to the separate corruption probe until the recent Supreme Court ruling.
The high court decision triggered sharp reactions from medical professionals leading the justice movement. Dr Utpal Bandyopadhyay expressed profound anguish and anger over the ruling, demanding that the agency publicly clarify the reasons behind the prolonged legal delays and urging that the trial be fast-tracked.
Another prominent movement leader, Dr Aniket Mahato, criticized the agency for alleged investigative lapses, claiming that investigators had designated 147 individuals as witnesses but interrogated only seven of them over a two-year period. Mahato accused the CBI of incompetence and asserted that the protracted proceedings had severely undermined the strength of the case.