Kolkata, 15 May (H.S.): The role of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be investigated in connection with the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College, Chief Minister and Home Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Friday. Addressing a press conference at Nabanna, the Chief Minister also declared the immediate suspension of three IPS officers for alleged negligence of duty in the case.

Adhikari said the RG Kar case file was being reopened and a departmental inquiry would be initiated into the role of police officials who were in charge at the time of the incident. The suspended officers include former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, former Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Abhishek Gupta and former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Indira Mukhopadhyay.

The Chief Minister said that after assuming charge as Home Minister, he had sought detailed reports from the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary regarding the RG Kar incident and the developments that followed. Based on the findings, the government decided to initiate preliminary administrative action. He alleged that the case had been mishandled at multiple levels, from the registration of the FIR to the initial stages of investigation.

Adhikari further alleged that reports had surfaced in various media outlets claiming that an attempt was made on behalf of the state government to offer money to the victim’s mother. Calling it “a form of bribery attempt,” he said the matter would also be investigated thoroughly. According to him, call records and WhatsApp chats of the concerned officers during that period would be examined to determine who they were in contact with and whether any instructions had come from the then Chief Minister or any minister.

The Chief Minister stated that officers facing allegations would be kept away from the investigation process to ensure impartiality. He clarified that the state government would not interfere in the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation probe, but the role of the state police would be reviewed separately.

Adhikari also raised questions over the conduct of senior IPS officer Indira Mukhopadhyay during press briefings held after the incident. He said her body language and statements at the time were “not appropriate for the state.” He further noted that she was neither the official spokesperson of Kolkata Police nor of the Home Department, yet she continued to make public statements. The circumstances under which she was assigned to address the media would also come under investigation, he said.

The RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case in August 2024 had triggered widespread outrage across West Bengal. Amid sustained protests by junior doctors and mounting public pressure, then Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal was removed from his post in September 2024 and shifted as ADG of the STF. Abhishek Gupta was also removed from the post of DC North over allegations of lapses in the investigation. Indira Mukhopadhyay, then serving as DC Central, frequently appeared before the media following the incident.

At present, Vineet Goyal is serving as Director General of the Intelligence Branch, while Abhishek Gupta is posted as Commandant of the Eastern Frontier Rifles. Indira Mukhopadhyay is currently serving as Special Superintendent in the CID.

Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, who recently won the Panihati Assembly seat on a BJP ticket, welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision. She alleged that the previous government had failed to take proper action and had provided misleading information in connection with her daughter’s case. She further claimed that attempts were made to prevent a second postmortem examination and that the cremation of the body was carried out in haste.

It may be mentioned that the victim’s mother had approached the court on Wednesday seeking the arrest of three persons, namely former Panihati MLA Nirmal Ghosh, Somnath Das and Sanjeev Mukhopadhyay.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh