CBI’s Late-Night Move Caps High Drama Over Mamata Banerjee-Doctors Meeting

Saturday was a day of dramatic developments in the Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder case and the protests surrounding the heinous crime.

In the afternoon, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a surprise visit to the state health secretariat, where doctors have been protesting in demand of justice for their colleague, and the removal of several top officials. The Chief Minister invited the doctors for talks last evening. The doctors reached her residence, but the talks could not be held due to differences over whether the meeting would be live-streamed.

Amid high drama outside the Chief Minister’s home, with Ms Banerjee seen waiting at the door and the doctors under umbrellas outside, the CBI has slapped the charge of evidence tampering on Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the rape-murder took place. The central agency also arrested Abhijit Mondal, officer-in-charge of Tala police station under which the hospital falls.

The BJP has now alleged that Ms Banerjee called off the meeting with the doctors because she was “demoralised” due to the arrest of Dr Ghosh and the police officer for evidence tampering.

Why The Meeting Did Not Happen

Following the Chief Minister’s appeal in the afternoon, the protesters reached her residence at Kalighat around 6.45 pm. The doctors had been demanding live-streaming of the meeting, but the state government did not agree. Top officials said live-streaming talks at the Chief Minister’s home is not possible. The doctors then said they be allowed to videograph the meeting. The state government refused this too and said it would record the meeting and recording would be provided to doctors later because the matter is sub-judice. This created another deadlock, as the doctors insisted that they be provided the recording after the meeting. At one point, Ms Banerjee came out and invited the doctors inside. “You can trust me, I won’t mislead you. Even if you do not attend the meeting, at least have a cup of tea.” She also said the doctors are “insulting” her. The doctors stressed that they wanted the recording. She then said I “cannot accept all your demands”.

Eventually, around 9 pm, the doctors decided to join the meeting but state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and chief secretary Dr Manoj Pant told them that it was too late.

CBI’s Late-Night Move

Soon after the doctors returned to the protest site, the CBI made a big move. Dr Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, was slapped with the evidence tampering charge in the rape-murder case. Mr Ghosh has earlier been arrested in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the hospital’s management. His role after the 31-year-old doctor was found dead has repeatedly come under the scanner and the high court and the Supreme Court have questioned why the hospital authorities did not register a police complaint after the doctor was found dead. Along with Dr Ghosh, Abhijit Mondal, officer-in-charge of Tala Police Station, was also arrested under the same charge. The arrest of the former principal and the senior cop for tampering with evidence bolstered the protester’s allegations of a massive cover-up by the police and hospital administration after the doctor’s body was found.

At the protest site, news of the arrests set off celebrations. “We are very happy as the CBI has arrested them. The CBI should arrest others who have tampered with the evidence,” a doctor told ANI.

BJP Leader’s Big Charge

Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, drew a connection between the cancelled meeting between the Chief Minister and the doctors, and the late-night arrests. “The exact cause for cancellation of the meeting between the CM and the Junior Doctors is that Mamata Banerjee got demoralized due to the arrest of OC; Tala P.S. and Ex RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh in the Rape and Murder case.

She apprehends that the next person in the queue may be Vineet Goyal. That’s why CM asked Chandrima Bhattacharya and Manoj Pant to call off the Meeting,” he said in a post on X.

The Trinamool said the Chief Minister waited for the protesting doctors for three hours and even stepped out of her home to invite them. “Has anyone seen any Chief Minister like this? When everyone left, then they wanted to talk. Let’s see what happens,” she told local media last night.