Kolkata: The new and the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday announced the suspension of three Indian Police Service (I.P.S.) officers including a former Commissioner of the Kolkata Police in connection with the rape and murder of a lady junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August 2024.
Those suspended include the-then Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Vineet Kumar Goyal, the-then Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division) Abhishek Gupta and the-then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) of the city police, Indira Mukherjee.
Announcing their suspension on Friday, CM Adhikari said that a departmental probe will be initiated against all three of them. At the same time, he added, the role of the former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, in the matter will also be reviewed.
“After taking charge as the Chief Minister, also incharge of the state home department, I asked the Chief Secretary and the State Home Secretary, to submit a detailed and written report in the R.G. Kar matter and also on developments after the incident.
“I wanted to know how the police officers incharge at that point in time handled the investigation. Now we have decided to take an administrative decision. As the state police minister, I declare that the main complaints against the two police officers were mishandling of investigation and not taking proper action by filing an FIR, among others,” he said.
Adhikari also claimed that there was an indirect attempt to bribe the victim’s family.
“Based on the reports received from various media organisations, we have come to know that the victim’s mother was offered money on behalf of the state government,” he told media persons.
“Everything will be investigated. Who spoke to whom at that time will be probed. The cost lists will be checked. WhatsApp chats will be examined. It will be probed whether the then Chief Minister or any other former state minister was spoken to in the matter at that point in time,” CM Adhikari added.
He also said that despite not being an official spokesperson of Kolkata Police or the state home department, one deputy commissioner of Kolkata Police used to address media persons in the matter.
“Her body language and words at press conferences were not acceptable. No one gave her any responsibility in writing about the matter. Someone might have verbally asked her to make statements in public after the RG Kar case. All these are subject to investigation. For the time being the three officers are suspended and departmental probes will be initiated against them,” the Chief Minister said.
He also clarified that the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the matter will continue as it is and the parallel probe by the state government in the matter will not affect the central agency probe in the matter.
After the body of the lady junior doctor, whose mother, Ratna Debnath, is currently a BJP legislator from Panihati Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, was recovered from within the R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9, 2024, there were massive protests throughout the state involving representatives from the medical fraternity and the civil society, celebrities and common people.
Gradually, the waves of protests went beyond West Bengal borders to other states and subsequently to other countries. Demands for immediate resignations of Goyal and Gupta, for shoddy handling of the investigation in the matter were made.
At that time, Mukherjee, faced the media persons in relation to the matter and she was accused of passing on misleading information through the press conferences addressed by her.
Finally, in face of immense public pressure Mamata Banerjee transferred Goyal and Gupta, but retained Mukherjee as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (central division).
While Goyal is currently the Director General (Intelligence Branch) of State Police, Gupta is currently commandant of Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) in the rank of Deputy Inspector General and Mukherjee is the Special Superintendent (Criminal Investigation Department) of State Police.
(IANS)
