Since last SC hearing, CBI focus on evidence-tampering, docu falsification

Kolkata: The CBI probing the rape and murder at the R G Kar Medical College has in the past 13 days (since the last Supreme Court hearing) trained its focus on falsification of documents and destruction of evidence. Coinciding with the SC hearing, the ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh and former Tala police station OC Abhijit Mandal, now in Presidency jail, will be produced before a CBI court in Sealdah on Monday.

Since Sept 17, when the SC heard the R G Kar matter last, the CBI has in the most striking allegation said that false records pertaining to the case were created inside the Tala PS. It has also alleged that some documents “were altered” at the police station itself. CBI sources pointed out that falsification of documents was allegedly done to hide lapses and “divert focus of probe”.The CBI has also claimed that the larger conspiracy in the rape-murder involved destruction of evidence. It has meanwhile started analyzing data from the Tala PS. Investigators, who have also retrieved call record details of Ghosh and Mandal, prima facie found attempts “to vitiate the evidence and vital data” related to the case.CBI officers have reasons to believe that Ghosh reached hospital after police and the officer in charge of homicide (detective department) arrived at the scene of crime. Ghosh had, by that time, spoken to Mandal multiple times. He had also spoken to a number of hospital officials.Investigators claimed that Ghosh had been talking to someone else and taking orders from that person. The FIR was finally registered by the hospital authority at 2.55 pm. By that time the medical and death certificates were prepared.CBI investigators also alleged that during the process, complete videography of sealing of articles and biological samples was not done. They suspect that to “render undue benefit to Sanjay Roy and other accused persons”, Mandal deliberately failed in his duty. It also alleged that Mandal was intending to “divert the direction of investigation”.The CBI also suspect that Mandal was constantly in touch with Ghosh on Aug 9 and they might have tried to “hush up” the case. The agency has alleged in the court that the death certificate was issued late and that delayed the process of autopsy. It also raised question on the hurried cremation of the doctor when the parents were demanding a second autopsy.Mandal’s lawyer Ayan Bhattacharya said he was arrested for “dereliction of duty” violating Bengal govt’s 2022 order that no police officer can be arrested without sanction of the state. Ghosh’s lawyer Zohaib Rauf claimed that he has been falsely implicated.