Viral Letter Links Mamata Banerjee To Demolition, Destruction At RG Kar Rape-Murder Site

Kolkata: In a big breakthrough in RG Kar's ransacking, it has emerged that a demolition order was issued from the office of Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the Medical College and Hospital. The notice issued on August 10, a day after Abhaya rape and murder directed the renovation of an adjacent room to the seminar hall, where the body of the trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered, was found. A letter has also been doing rounds on social media which claimed that Ghosh ordered renovation near the seminar room.

It is to be noted that Health Ministry in West Bengal government is under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , who is also holds the Home Minister portfolio.

Taking to X, Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Mazumdar shared the purported letter, allegedly signed by Ghosh and said that renovation work was ordered near the seminar hall. He also claimed that despite repeated allegations from colleagues and protesters about tampering with the crime scene, Kolkata Police denied it. 

“The order, signed by Sandip Ghosh, former director of RG Kar Medical College, is dated August 10, just one day after the victim’s death. Despite allegations from colleagues and protesters about tampering with the crime scene, the Police Commissioner denied it. This letter seems to confirm that the seminar hall was demolished the day after the death to destroy evidence. Such actions couldn’t have happened without the instructions of the Health Minister and the failed Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. Shameful!” Mazumdar wrote on X.

Sources told Republic World that the order also included instructions for the demolition of rooms and toilets used by on-duty doctors across various departments. The decision has raised concerns about the timing and intent behind these actions, given the proximity to the recent tragic discovery.

The latest development comes days after the CBI arrested former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and three others in connection with the alleged financial irregularities at the facility, which is under intense scrutiny over alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor there last month. Officials said the three others who have been arrested are Ghosh's security guard Afsar Ali (44), and hospital vendors Biplav Singha (52) and Suman Hazara (46) who used to supply material to the hospital.

Vandalism at RG Kar

Earlier last month, unidentified miscreants had ransacked a part of the medical establishment where Abhaya was found dead.  The vandalism took place amid midnight protests by women in various parts of West Bengal against the alleged rape and murder of the doctor. Nurses at the hospital had also protested the vandalism and demanded proper security on the premises.   

Police had said that nearly 40 people, masquerading as protestors, entered the hospital premises, vandalized property, and pelted the police personnel present with stones, prompting the force to burst tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The miscreants carrying sticks, bricks and rods, vandalised the Emergency ward, its nursing station and medicine store, besides a section of the Out Patients Department (OPD) at the hospital in north Kolkata, police said. Several CCTV cameras in and around the area were destroyed by the vandals who also ransacked a stage where the junior doctors have been demonstrating since August 9 evening following the death of the physician.

“The goons entered the campus and beat up agitating doctors. This was an attempt to break our morale so that we back out from the protest. But such incidents have only strengthened our resolve to fight till the end,” said one of the protesting doctors.  He had alleged that the vandalism took place even as police personnel were present. The police outpost in the hospital was also ransacked.

Was The Crime Scene Tampered?

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) Inquiry Committee uncovered several lapses in security, infrastructure, and the investigation into the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. 

During a Supreme Court hearing, the CBI alleged that the crime scene had been tampered with, and the victim's family was deliberately misled into believing their daughter's death was a suicide. A viral image circulating on social media showed multiple individuals inside the seminar hall where the crime took place, further raising questions about the handling of the investigation.  
 

However, the Kolkata Police clarified that all individuals shown in a widely circulated photograph of the crime scene were fully authorized to be there.

Speaking to reporters, Indira Mukherjee, DCP Central of Kolkata Police, stated, “We are specifically addressing the photo in question. The area was cordoned off, with the body located behind it. I can confirm the identities of everyone in the picture—they are all part of the investigation team.”

Furthermore, the Kolkata Police emphasized that the photograph in question was taken on August 9, after the inquest had been completed, dismissing allegations of any unauthorized presence or tampering at the crime scene.

Abhaya Rape-Murder

Meanwhile, serious questions have been raised about the Kolkata Police's handling of the horrifying rape and murder. According to the victim's parents, they had requested that the body be preserved, but they were allegedly pressured into proceeding with the cremation.

The victim's father, speaking at protests outside the state-run hospital, said, "We wanted the body preserved, but so much pressure was created. About 300-400 cops surrounded us. We returned home and found some 300 cops standing outside. They created such a situation that we were forced to cremate her," he claimed.

He further alleged that the cremation was rushed and not paid for by the family. "My daughter went knowing that Bapi (father) could not even pay for this," he added.

The grieving father also made a startling claim that a senior police officer offered them money while their daughter's body was in front of them.

"When my daughter's body was at our home, DC North tried to give us some money. We replied to him accordingly," he said. In another shocking allegation, he said that police officers attempted to get his signature on a blank sheet of paper. "I tore it up and threw it away," he stated.  

The August 9 incident has triggered widespread protests across Kolkata. Last night, city residents turned off their lights for an hour in solidarity with the victim, demanding justice. Prominent landmarks like Victoria Memorial and Raj Bhavan also participated in the symbolic blackout. Governor CV Ananda Bose, who lit candles at Raj Bhavan, shared the moment on social media with the caption, “When light is fear, darkness is dear.”