Sandip Ghosh, Ex-RG Kar Principal, Had 'Restless' Night in CBI Custody, Demanded Veg Food: Report

Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, is having a tough time in CBI custody after his arrest in an alleged financial irregularities case.

On Tuesday, as Ghosh was being taken to the special court, a huge crowd gathered outside and started shouting 'thief, thief' (Image: PTI file)

Source : PTI

Kolkata Doctor Death Case: Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, reportedly spent a tense and restless first night in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody. Ghosh, confined to a lock-up on the 14th floor of the second MSO building in Kolkata's Nizam Palace, from where the CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch operates, remained awake for the whole night, a report said. 

Ghosh, along with three others, was arrested by CBI on Monday (September 2) in a case of alleged financial irregularities at West Bengal's state-owned RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. 

The former principal of RG Kar Medical College has been placed under tight security, with four armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel stationed inside and outside his lockup, where he is expected to remain till September 10, when he'll be produced in court again, reported India Today quoting sources.

On his first night in custody, Ghosh was reportedly served a vegetarian meal, that he requested citing observance of Kali Puja. Quoting sources, the report said he is a regular visitor to a Balaji temple near his residence in Beliaghata, Kolkata.

As per the report, Ghosh has appeared increasingly nervous since his arrest. "It's natural for someone who has never spent time in custody or jail to take time to adjust," India Today report quoted a source as saying. 

On Tuesday, as Ghosh was being taken to the special court from the central agency’s Nizam Palace office, a huge crowd gathered outside and started shouting 'thief, thief' and attempted to attack him. Agency officials had a tough time taking him out and making him sit in the vehicle, during which time a member of the crowd managed to slap Ghosh on the head. 

Sources said Ghosh has been largely silent since returning from court on Tuesday. He was reportedly given some time to rest, but his sleep remained disturbed. On Wednesday, he was served tea, biscuits, and breakfast, before the CBI resumed its interrogation.

Three officers from CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch are reportedly leading Ghosh's interrogation about alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital. However, sources said that Ghosh has outright refuted all the allegations against him. 

Ghosh had been integrated both in the financial irregularities case as well as the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar within the hospital premises last month. The central agency officials are conducting parallel probes in both these cases which are court-directed as well as court-monitored

Sandip Ghosh served as RG Kar Hospital principal from February 2021 to September 2023. Despite being transferred in October 2023, he managed to return to his position within a month. He was holding the position when the horrific rape and murder of the trainee doctor took place in a seminar hall of the hospital on August 9, sparking nationwide protest.