Leaders of Opposition parties in West Bengal have alleged destruction of evidence in the rape and murder case of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital as still from a purported video surfaced of several people thronging the crime scene soon after the victim’s body was found on the morning of August 9.
The stills from the video show that the then RG Kar principal Dr Sandip Ghosh, his lawyer Santanu Dey, Ghosh’s personal assistant, police and hospital security staff at the seminar hall where the crime took place.
From the stills, it is also seen that Debashis Som, a demonstrator in forensic medicine posted in the health recruitment board, Prasun Chattopadhyay, a data entry officer at the National Medical College and Hospita was there.
BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay said, “The still from the video clearly shows so many people roaming around at the place of occurrence of crime. Why did the police allow them inside the seminar hall where the rape and murder took place? It is clear that the evidence was destroyed.”
Echoing his views, party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “The stills from the video, we can see the crime scene being converted into a fair. Everyone is roaming around in the presence of police. Has anyone seen such a crime scene?”
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “The court was not satisfied with the police probe. We also said earlier that there was an attempt by the administration and the police to tamper with evidence. The video shows the then principal and his cronies, junior doctors, health department officials inside the seminar hall. What were they doing there? This clearly shows the evidence was compromised. Those in the video should be identified and interrogated. Only then the truth will come out.”
Rejecting these claims, Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Indira Mookherjee said, “People are sharing a video on social media, alleging tampering of evidence as some individuals are standing inside the seminar hall. They are claiming that the place of occurrence of crime was not cordoned off. The portion of the seminar hall where the body was found was sealed immediately with curtains. No one except the victim’s family was allowed 40 feet near the place where the body was found.”
“The video is of the portion outside the area that was sealed. It is about 10 feet in length and width. Some people, including doctors of RG Kar, were present there. But no one was allowed inside the sealed area,” she added.
“I went to RG Kar that day to visit the OPD (outpatient department) of orthopaedics. I was standing outside the seminar hall. I am also a member of the institute’s complaint committee,” Sandip Ghosh’s lawyer Santanu Dey told mediapersons.
Besides Dr Ghosh, Debasish Som is also being questioned by the CBI in the case. TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar said, “People gather at a place whenever something happens. That is but an instinctive response.”
