Ever since Kolkata and the rest of India woke up on August 9 to the chilling news of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the name of the institution’s former Principal Sandip Ghosh has been in the headlines.
Sandeep Ghosh’s actions — or the lack of them — in the aftermath of the discovery of the doctor’s body in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital has been questioned in both Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court. The courts have also flagged the Mamata Banerjee government’s surprising move to name him principal of another medical college hours after his resignation as RG Kar Medical College’s head.
The spotlight on this doctor-administrator has brought to the fore shocking allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Amid the Opposition’s allegations that the state government backed Dr Ghosh despite corruptions allegations against him, the Trinamool Congress dispensation has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe allegations during his tenure.
The Rise Of Sandip Ghosh
Sandip Ghosh completed in schooling from Bongaon High School near Kolkata, cracked the joint entrance examination for entry into medical and engineering courses and went on to study at RG Kar Medical College — which he would later lead before his disgraceful exit. Dr Ghosh completed his MBBS in 1994 and went on to become an orthopaedic surgeon. After a steady rise, he returned to his alma mater in 2021 as principal. Before this, he served as vice-principal at Calcutta National Medical College.
According to reports in Bengal media, Dr Ghosh was idolised by students in Bongaon, a town about 80 km from Kolkata. His academic performance, followed by his rise as a medical administrator, had turned him into a figure to look up to. The town is now shocked by the string of allegations against him.
Massive Allegations Of Corruption
Barely two years after he took over as principal, Akhtar Ali, the former Deputy Superintendent of RG Kar Medical College, shot off a complaint to the state vigilance commission flagging serious charges against Sandip Ghosh. The complaint accused Dr Ghosh and others of squandering government money, evading financial rules, nepotism in choosing vendors and taking bribes from them, and irregularities in recruiting contractual staff, among others.
Mr Ali alleged in his complaint that he had tried to raise this issue earlier too, but Dr Sudipta Roy, chairman for the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board, threatened him with termination.
The complaint was made in July last year. At the time, Mr Ali was deputy superintendent of the state health recruitment board.
In fact, shortly after the complaint, the anti-corruption branch wrote to the principal secretary, flagging the allegations against Dr Ghosh. But over the past one year, however, no apparent action was taken against Dr Ghosh and he continued as the principal of RG Kar Medical College.
The August 9 Rape-Murder Horror
On the morning of August 9, the body of a 31-year-old doctor was found in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College, sending shockwaves through the nation. The doctor, it was found, was raped. As spine-chilling details came to the fore, Sandip Ghosh was accused of victim blaming. He denied these allegations and said he had decided to step down as principal because he “can’t take the humiliation”.
However, hours later, he was named principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital. This sparked a massive row as the protesters and Opposition parties said the medical administrator had been ‘rewarded’ after such a horrifying incident on a campus he was in charge of.
Sandip Ghosh Under The Lens
The response Of Sandip Ghosh and the hospital administration after the doctor was found dead has come under severe criticism at both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.
Questioning why an unnatural death case was registered, the high court said, “When the deceased victim was a doctor working in the hospital, it is rather surprising as to why the Principal/hospital did not lodge a formal complaint. This, in our view, was a serious lapse, giving room for suspicion.”
The high court also questioned the “tearing urgency” on the part of the state government to name Dr Ghosh the principal of another college hours after his resignation.
The Supreme Court, too, pulled up Dr Ghosh and the hospital administration for the delay in registering an FIR and also questioned his appointment shortly after he stepped down.
Sandip Ghosh is now being grilled by the CBI. He appeared before the agency officials for the sixth time today. Over the past five days, he has been questioned for over 60 hours.
He is being investigated by the state government for corruption and also in a case of alleged disclosure of the rape-murder victim’s identity.
