CBI arrests Ashish Pandey in connection with financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital

Pandey is a doctor and leader of the student wing of the Trinamool Congress

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday (October 3, 2024) arrested Ashish Kumar Pandey, a doctor and leader of the student wing of the Trinamool Congress, in connection with the financial irregularities involving R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The financial irregularities came to the fore after the rape and murder of a doctor at the State-run health facility on August 9.

The CBI had earlier arrested four persons, including former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Kumar Ghosh. Dr. Pandey was earlier questioned by the agency in connection with the financial irregularities.

The allegations of financial regularities were made by Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of the hospital. The CBI is also investigating the rape and murder of the doctor and one person Sanjay Roy, a civic police volunteer, has been arrested in connection with the crime. Mr. Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal, former Officer-in-Charge of the Tala police station, were arrested on charges of tampering with evidence in this case.

The Calcutta High Court had handed over the investigation into financial irregularities to the CBI. The resident doctors of the State-run hospital on October 1 declared cease work over their demands of ensuring safety and security allegedly not been met by the State government.

Prior to this, the junior doctors had observed a 42-day strike which was partially called off on September 21 after series of meetings with the State government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Health department has received numerous complaints regarding the prevailing “threat culture and irregularities in the examination system” in various government hospitals and medical colleges following the R.G. Kar hospital incident.

Published - October 04, 2024 12:02 am IST