Suvendu Adhikari had filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, seeking a CBI probe into the case
New Delhi:
The BJP has welcomed the Calcutta High Court's order handing over the investigation into the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the CBI. The horrific incident has sparked nationwide protests as doctors demand safety and security on duty.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Bengal Assembly, had filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, seeking a CBI probe into the matter.
Reacting to the court's verdict, Mr Adhikari said in a social media post that the “last bastion of justice” has emerged in Bengal. “In a PIL filed by me along with two others, the cat-and-mouse game played by the state government to save the skin of the culprits by creating a cover-up and scapegoat will no longer stand. The culprits will now be caught and punished,” the BJP leader said.
The Mamata Banerjee administration, he alleged, had failed to protect the life of a hardworking doctor and tried to cover up a heinous crime against a woman. “The Honourable (high court) has come down heavily on the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and exposed the foul play they played along with influential persons in the state administration,” he said.
“Now that the CBI has taken over the investigation, I am confident that the CBI will bring out the truth and bring to book those responsible for kidnapping a young daughter from her parents and a skilled doctor from the fraternity. May the truth prevail. My prayers for the kindred soul who has departed untimely,” Mr. Adhikari added.
The honourable High Court of Calcutta, the last bastion of justice in West Bengal, has once again emerged as the custodians of justice by handing over the investigation into the horrific and tragic incident at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the Central Bureau of Investigation…
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) August 13, 2024
A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam today took a dig at the lapses of the hospital administration after the body of the doctor was found in a seminar hall on Friday morning. The court observed that Dr Sandip Ghosh, then principal of the college, was not proactive in handling the situation. The hospital management, it said, was not with the victim or her family. The court also wondered why Dr Ghosh, who resigned following protests over the rape-murder of the doctor, was given a new job as principal of another college within hours.
The high court noted that under “normal circumstances” it would have given the state police more time to complete their investigation. “Even after five days, there are no significant findings which should have been reached by now. Therefore, we are justified in holding that there is every likelihood of evidence being destroyed. We deem it appropriate that the case be transferred to the CBI with immediate effect,” the court said.
Chief Minister Banerjee had earlier said that the state government will recommend a CBI probe if the Kolkata Police cannot complete the investigation by Sunday. She had said that she has no objection to a probe by the central agency and that the state government has nothing to hide.
