The Kolkata police on Sunday summoned Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy to its Lalbazar headquarters citing a post he wrote on the August 9 rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the city.
On Saturday night, 75-year-old Roy, a three-time member of the Upper House, wrote: “CBI must act fairly. Custodial interrogation of Ex Principal and Police Commissioner is a must to know who and why floated suicide story. Why wall of hall demolished, who patronized Roy to be so powerful, why sniffer dog used after 3 days.100s of such questions. Make them speak.”
Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the medical college has been interrogated by CBI since Friday. In the post, Roy referred to the renovation work done near the third-floor seminar hall in the hospital’s chest department, the crime scene, after August 9. The Calcutta high court on Friday pulled up the state government for ordering the renovation work amid allegations. that it was done to destroy evidence.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior police official said, “Roy was summoned because he spread misinformation about the sniffer dogs. They were taken to the crime scene as soon as the investigation started on August 9. Police issued a public notice two days ago saying anyone spreading misinformation or exposing the identity of the victim would face action.”
Roy did not speak to the media after receiving the summon notice which asked him to appear before police on Sunday afternoon. However, people close to him said he would not change his stand. Roy did not remove his post till 3.30pm
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh attacked Roy for writing the post.
“How can a senior leader like him demand Goyal’s arrest and interrogation by CBI? The commissioner worked round the clock to crack the case. The prime suspect was arrested by police,” said Ghosh.
The development came close on the heels of the TMC dropping its former Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen from its panel of spokespersons after he took part in the agitations at RG Kar Medical College, his alma mater. Sen was also removed from the post of health advisor to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
“As far as I know, no such post was ever created,” Kolkata mayor and cabinet minister Firhad Hakim told the media on Saturday.
“As a dedicated soldier of the TMC since its foundation I accept all decisions taken by the leadership,” Sen, whose tenure in the Rajya Sabha ended recently, said.
The Kolkata police also sent summons on Sunday to Dr Kunal Sarkar, a well-known heart surgeon, and Dr Subarna Goswami, office-bearer in at least three doctor’s organizations that have supported the protests and demanded action against RG Kar Medical College and Hospital officials. , many of whom were promptly transferred after the crime.
Dr Sarkar and Dr Goswami were charged with exposing the identity of the victim, which is banned according to directives of the Supreme Court issued in the past in similar crimes.
“I did nothing that exposed the victim’s identity. It seems the authorities don’t want anyone to speak out at a time when the entire nation is demanding justice for the deceased and her family. I am not in Kolkata right now. Let me return and consult lawyers,” Dr Sarkar said.
“The summon was sent to me on WhatsApp. I will consult lawyers first,” said Dr Goswami.
On August 13, the Calcutta high court division bench of chief justice TS Sivagnanam and justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya ordered a court-monitored CBI probe with immediate effect and raised critical questions on the role of police and the hospital authorities after the crime which triggered nationwide protests. Doctors have organized protests in several countries including the UK and USA.
The court ordered the CBI investigation a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in charge of the home and health departments, asked the Kolkata police to complete its probe by August 18 failing which, she said, the case would be handed over to CBI, a demand raised by the victim’s parents and opposition parties. Banerjee did not rule out the involvement of “insiders” in the crime even though Sanjay Roy (31), a civic volunteer working for the Kolkata Police, had been arrested as the prime suspect on August 10.
The division bench passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the victim’s parents whom the chief minister met on August 12 at their residence in the North 24 Parganas district. Five more petitions were filed by senior lawyers such as Phiroze Edulji and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
