Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: A day after the tragic murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College on August 9, former principal Sandip Ghosh issued orders for repairs and renovations within the hospital. India Today has obtained an exclusive letter dated August 10, in which Ghosh requested the Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out repairs, renovations, and reconstruction of on-duty doctors’ rooms across all departments of the hospital.
In his letter, Ghosh stated, “I would like to inform you that there are deficiencies in the on-duty doctors’ rooms and separate attached toilets in various departments of RG Kar Hospital. You are hereby requested to do the needful immediately as per the demand of resident doctors of RG Kar Hospital.” Ghosh resigned from his position following a massive public outcry over the murder.
The 31-year-old doctor was raped and murdered inside the hospital’s seminar hall, sparking widespread protests from healthcare professionals nationwide, who raised concerns about workplace safety. Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer attached to the Kolkata Police, has been arrested in connection with the case.
Sandip Ghosh has also been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of alleged financial irregularities at the hospital.
Controversy Over Renovation Orders
A controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that a part of the seminar room was being reconstructed, following the circulation of a video showing construction work in the hospital. However, the hospital administration clarified that the video depicted a different room in the same corridor, not the seminar hall. Consequently, the reconstruction work was halted.
High Court Criticism Over Demolition Work
In August, the Calcutta High Court questioned the West Bengal government regarding the “urgency” of the renovation work near the crime scene. The Chief Justice expressed skepticism, saying, “Is it so important to provide a restroom within 12 hours to meet urgency? You go to any district court complex, see if ladies have any restrooms. I say this with responsibility. What has the PWD done? See the condition of the restrooms in the court complexes.”
Responding to allegations that the renovation was ordered to destroy evidence, the state’s counsel denied that any demolition work was carried out near the crime scene. “All these allegations that the place of occurrence (of the crime) has been demolished, destroyed, nothing is correct. The demolition work that happened was not near the place of occurrence,” the counsel clarified.
The situation remains tense as investigations continue, with many questioning the timing and intent behind the rapid renovation orders in the wake of such a heinous crime.
