CBI team reaches Kolkata to speed up fresh RG Kar doctor rape-murder probe

A four-member CBI team from New Delhi arrived in Kolkata to accelerate the fresh probe into the 2024 RG Kar doctor rape-murder case, following the Calcutta High Court's order to reinvestigate the matter ahead of the victim's second death anniversary

Kolkata: A special four-member team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from its New Delhi headquarters arrived in Kolkata on Monday to accelerate the agency’s fresh investigation into the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024.

The fresh investigation is being conducted following an order of the Calcutta High Court earlier this year, directing the CBI to revisit the case from the beginning. The team’s arrival comes just five days before the second anniversary of the victim’s death on August 8.

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After reaching Kolkata, the special four-member team held an extensive review meeting with officers of the CBI’s Kolkata unit to assess the progress of the investigation. Subsequently, the officers visited RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and inspected the suspected crime scene, a seminar room within the hospital premises.

The development follows recent changes in the probe team. Acting on concerns raised by the victim’s parents over the pace of the investigation, the CBI replaced its earlier investigating officer, Seema Pahuja, with Sandipani Garg. The victim’s family had alleged lapses in the earlier probe. Last week, the CBI submitted its 11th status report on the progress of the fresh investigation before a court in Sealdah, Kolkata.

The body of the young doctor was discovered inside a seminar hall on the hospital campus on August 9, 2024. Investigators concluded that she had been raped and murdered the previous night while on duty. The incident triggered widespread protests across West Bengal and other parts of the country, sparking national outrage and demands for justice.

The Kolkata police initially investigated the case before it was transferred to the CBI following court intervention. Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, remains the sole convict in the case and is currently serving a life sentence.

The Calcutta High Court’s directive for a fresh investigation and the induction of a new probe team have once again brought national attention to one of the most high-profile crimes involving a medical professional in recent years.