CBI submits status report in SC in Kolkata doctor rape-murder case

Kolkata, Aug 22: The CBI, on Thursday, submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the progress of the investigation into the rape and murder of a woman doctor in state-run R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, and as per sources the agency has found several missing links.

The apex court’s division bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud is hearing the matter. This is the second hearing at the CJI’s division bench in the matter and all eyes now are on the proceedings at the division bench.

Sources said the first missing link is the substantial gap between the time of the discovery of the body at the seminar hall of the hospital building on the morning of August 9 and that of intimation to the local police station about the tragedy.

Sources said that the investigating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials are trying to figure out why the hospital authorities, especially, the former and controversial R.G. Principal Sandip Ghosh took so much time to inform the police after the discovery of the body.

The CBI has been interrogating Dr Ghosh to join the dots since last Friday. The questioning has been going on for marathon 12 to 14 hours almost every day. On Thursday also, Dr Ghosh appeared for interrogation at the CBI’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

This was the seventh consecutive day of his appearance. The CBI has also summoned Ghosh’s driver for interrogation on Thursday. The second missing link is the exact person who first spotted the body of the victim at the seminar hall on the morning of August 9.

Sources said that even after interrogating several medical and non-medical staff of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, the investigating officials are yet to identify the individual who first spotted the body.

Contradictory statements have been given by those being interrogated.

Sources said that the investigating official believed that once the individual, who spotted the body first is zeroed in, answers for many unanswered queries in the matter will be found.

The body of a woman doctor was found in mysterious circumstances on the hospital premises on August 9. One person has been arrested so far. Protests erupted in the city and later across the country over the case.