RG Kar Ex-Principal Sandip Ghosh Banned from Academic Activities amid Investigation | Kolkata Rape

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Dr Ghosh, an orthopaedic professor, assumed the role of principal in mid-2021 after being promoted from his previous position at Calcutta National Medical College. (Courtesy: R G Kar Medical College and Hospital)

Written by Raajnandini Mukherjee

A complaint has been filed against the former principal of Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, accusing him of disclosing the identity of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and killed on the hospital premises on the night of August 8.

The complaint, filed by Advocate Shayan Sachin Basu, has been sent to the Director General of West Bengal Police Rajeev Kumar, and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.

The complaint alleged that on August 12, Dr Sandip Ghosh “egregiously disclosed the identity of the rape victim by using her name on no fewer than six occasions”.

“This deliberate and reckless act of naming the victim was done in the presence of various media outlets, thereby amplifying the violation and causing irreparable harm to the dignity and privacy of the victim,” the complaint read.

“The public disclosure of the victim’s identity is not merely a breach of law but also a moral transgression that perpetuates the trauma of the victim and deters others from seeking justice,” it added.

Advocate Basu, the complainant, said, “It is well-established under the law that the identity of rape victims must be safeguarded to protect their dignity, as enshrined under Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

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Furthermore, this protection is reinforced by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, both of which have consistently upheld the sanctity of such provisions. The actions of Sandip Ghosh not only contravene these legal provisions but also exhibit a blatant disregard for the directives laid down by the highest echelons of our judiciary.”

Repeated calls to the DGP office, office of the Kolkata Police Commissioner, office of the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) and office of the Additional Commissioner of Police, Kolkata went unanswered.

Amid protests by junior doctors, Ghosh resigned as the principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Monday, taking “moral responsibility” for the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. While Ghosh’s ouster was one of the demands of the protesting doctors at RG Kar Hospital, his appointment as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital within hours sparked further outrage and protests.

On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court, while transferring the probe to the CBI, asked Ghosh to go on leave and came down heavily on the West Bengal government for his re-appointment, saying he couldn’t be made principal of another state-run teaching hospital till the court resumed hearing a batch of PILs linked to the rape and murder of the trainee doctor.