The CBI on Friday submitted a status report to the Calcutta High Court in the RG Kar case, clarifying that the incident was a case of murder and rape, not gangrape. The central agency also highlighted that it is investigating allegations of evidence destruction aimed at covering up the incident.
The CBI revealed that three new individuals are under scrutiny, with their call records being examined. However, their identities were not disclosed.
The court raised several questions about the progress of the investigation and the CBI is expected to address these concerns in the next hearing.
Although a special CBI court has already delivered a verdict in the case sentencing Kolkata police’s civic volunteer Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment, the court sought clarification on the specifics of the ongoing investigation as the victim’s family expressed their discontent over the finding of the central agency.
Earlier, they moved the Supreme Court and the apex court directed the Kolkata High Court to hear the family’s plea.
The CBI explained that their focus is now on determining who was involved in the destruction of evidence and other allegations following the incident. According to the agency, all relevant medical staff, including nurses and doctors, have already been questioned. The CBI further confirmed that Sanjay was solely responsible for the main crime of rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run healthcare facility in Kolkata.
The status report also suggested the possibility of a larger conspiracy, with the CBI investigating whether anyone played a role in covering up the crime. In addition to recording statements from 24 people, the CBI has gathered multiple CCTV footage from the hospital for further analysis.
While the CBI reiterated that this was not a case of gangrape, based on the findings of the medical board and their own investigation, they could not specify when the entire probe into other allegations would be completed.
Meanwhile, the state government has raised objections to the CBI's ongoing investigation, citing the conclusion of the trial process and the sentence already handed down by the special court. The state contended that no further investigation should take place unless ordered by the court if any flaws in the initial investigation were identified.
The state lawyer also questioned the CBI's prolonged involvement in the case. However, the state clarified that it had no objections if the court decides to order further investigation in line with legal procedures.
In response, the victim's family lawyer expressed concerns about the roles of both the police and the CBI. He pointed out that no investigation was initiated until the family filed an FIR, and neither the hospital principal nor the superintendent had filed one earlier. In light of this, the court has instructed the CBI to provide a list of those who have been questioned so far and to submit the case diary, which was collected from the Kolkata police for review.
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