CISF personnel stand guard outside the trauma centre of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. File picture
| Photo Credit: PTI
The CBI on Friday (June 19, 2026) questioned two former Deputy Commissioners of the Kolkata Police as part of its probe into charges of evidence destruction and attempts to shield the real culprits in the R.G. Kar Hospital rape-murder case, a senior official said.He said that former Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal has also been asked to appear before the investigators next week.Also Read | CBI questions former Trinamool MLA in R.G. Kar rape and murder caseIn May, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari suspended the three senior IPS officers for their alleged mishandling and dereliction of duty during the initial phase of the investigation into the crime.On Friday (June 19), the federal probe agency questioned Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta, the former Deputy Commissioners of the central and north regions, for hours and collected several documents from them."The role of the three suspended IPS officers is now under the scanner. Our officers are trying to determine whether there was any effort to suppress evidence or protect other possible accused in the case," a senior CBI officer told PTI."A detailed probe is underway to establish the sequence of events from the night of the crime till the cremation of the victim. Every decision taken during that period is under review," he elaborated.Appropriate action will be taken if any lapses, suppression of evidence or attempts to derail the investigation are detected, the officer added.The CBI has already questioned former Panihati MLA Nirmal Ghosh and Bholanath Patra, the officer in charge of the crematorium, where the victim's last rites were performed."Our investigators sought details about the circumstances surrounding the cremation. Crematorium authorities have maintained that the victim's body was cremated with the consent of her parents," he said.The victim, a postgraduate trainee doctor, was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital during her night shift on August 8, 2024. Kolkata Police had arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy in connection with the crime.The probe was later transferred to the CBI following an order of the Calcutta High Court. While the CBI did not make any further arrests in the case, a local court subsequently convicted Roy and sentenced him to life imprisonment.However, the victim's parents have maintained that more individuals were involved in the crime, and the full conspiracy behind the incident has not yet been uncovered.Following a change of guard in the state, the case was reopened for fresh examination. Thereafter, Goyal, Mukherjee and Gupta were placed under suspension.According to the CBI official, the central probe agency is also examining whether any instructions were issued to the suspended officers through phone calls or messages by senior political functionaries at the time. Published - June 19, 2026 06:47 pm IST
