Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: CBI submits status report in Supreme Court

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Aug 22 submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the progress of the investigation into the rape and murder of a woman doctor in state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata on Aug 9.

The Supreme Court's division bench headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud is hearing the matter. This is the second hearing at the CJI's division bench in the sensational case that sparked nationwide outrage spearheaded by the doctors and health care staff.

CBI in its report has mentioned the substantial gap between the time of the discovery of the body at the seminar hall of the hospital on the morning of Aug 9 and that of intimation to the local police station about the tragedy, according to news agency IANS.

The CBI officials are trying to figure out why the hospital authorities, especially, the former and controversial hospital Principal Sandip Ghosh took so much time to inform the police after the discovery of the body, the news agency reported quoting sources.

The CBI has been interrogating Dr Ghosh since Aug 16 to connect the dots, and the questioning has been going on for 12 to 14 hours nearly every day. Dr Ghosh appeared for interrogation at the CBI's Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Aug 22, the seventh consecutive day of his appearance. Soon after Ghosh reached the office, the CBI summoned his driver for interrogation.

The CBI in its report has also found that the exact person who first spotted the body of the victim at the seminar hall on the morning of August 9. Even after interrogating several medical and non-medical staff of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, the investigating officials are yet to identify the individual who first spotted the body, NDTV reported.

Contradictory statements have been given by those being interrogated. The investigators believe that once the individual, who spotted the body first is zeroed in, answers to many unanswered queries in the case will be found, said NDTV quoting sources.

The body of a young woman doctor was found in mysterious circumstances on the hospital premises on August 9.

An accused Sanjay Roy, a civic cop has already been arrested in the case but there has not been any significant breakthrough in investigations so far.

Protests erupted across the country against the horrific rape and murder of a woman doctor with healthcare professionals demanding justice for the victim and enhanced safety measures for medical professionals at workplaces.