‘Bribe for job, registration cancelled due to protests’: RG Kar ex-students on Dr Sandip Ghosh’s terror

From paying bribes to join the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to cancelling admissions for raising their voices against irregularities, former students are now speaking out about the corruption and terror under Dr Sandip Ghosh, who was arrested after the rape and murder of a junior doctor on August 9.

“There was a scam at RG Kar… It was a medical mafia raj here,” former students told News18.

READ ALSO | RG Kar Injuries Accused, Ex-Director Interrogated: Police Timeline Reveals New Details in Rape-Murder Case

Dr Chandramouli Jha, a former student of RG Kar, who is now pursuing a PG course in Kolkata, protested against Dr Ghosh in 2021.

“We had raised our voice against corruption and lack of proper hostel facilities. We also went on a hunger strike. But our protest was nipped in the bud. Dr Ghosh got my registration cancelled. I had to go to court to get the registration. There is a threat syndicate in RG Kar. If someone wants to become an in-house staff, he has to pay money to Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) or the student wing of Trinamool Congress. MLA Sudipto Roy is also a major player,” Jha said.

Dr Mainak from the same batch also had a similar problem. He also protested and his registration was stopped.

Sources in the hospital claim that Ghosh was running his own business, with a group of students working for him. “Even to speak to Dr Sandip Ghosh, we had to go through the TMC student wing,” some doctors alleged. From trading in bio-waste to selling dead bodies, Dr Ghosh is facing a series of allegations.

Financial irregularities at the hospital are handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday morning, acting on orders from the Calcutta High Court. Doctors believe that the financial irregularities are the key and that all those involved should be on the CBI’s radar.

HOSTELLERS STILL AFTER AUGUST 14

The August 14 protest against the rape-murder took a violent turn when a mob vandalized the hospital premises. After the incident, several RG Kar innkeepers left on the morning of August 15. One of them said that she too had returned home. Although she has returned, she is now scared.

“At least 80 percent left the hospital hostel. Some are starting to return. We had a rally in the hospital that night. We were attacked. While we were hiding in the hostel, they used foul language and threatened us. We spent that night in fear. The next day, I went back to my house in the neighborhood. Now I am back, but there is fear,” she said.

READ ALSO | ‘Who did he protect?’ SC holds RG Kar, former director Sandip Ghosh accountable, finds gaps in initial rape, murder probe

Another female doctor told News18: “That night we had to hide under benches and in toilets. We did not go back, unlike many of us. It was horrible that night. We wanted our movement for justice to continue, that’s why we stayed, but there are not many people in the hostel. We are living in fear.”

Also in the Supreme Court, a doctor stated during the hearing that 70 health workers feel threatened. Although the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been deployed, they are still not convinced.