National Desk
6 September
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted raids on the residences of Sandeep Ghosh, the former principal of the state-run RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, and three of his colleagues. The raids took place at Ghosh’s home in Beliaghata, along with two other locations in Howrah and Subhashgram. An ED official confirmed that the searches were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities during Ghosh’s tenure as principal.
The four individuals targeted by the raids are already in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This comes after the Kolkata High Court, on August 23, ordered the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to transfer the probe into the financial misconduct at the hospital to the CBI. The court’s decision followed a petition filed by the hospital’s former deputy superintendent, Dr. Akhtar Ali. Dr. Ali had requested an ED investigation into the financial dealings at RG Kar Medical College, citing serious concerns of corruption during Ghosh’s leadership.
Sandeep Ghosh served as the principal of RG Kar Medical College from February 2021 to September 2023. Although he was briefly replaced in October 2023, he returned to his position within a month. Dr. Ali had raised concerns that the corruption at the hospital might be linked to the death of a doctor who may have been aware of the financial misconduct and possibly threatened to expose it.
The ongoing investigations by the ED and CBI aim to uncover the full extent of the alleged financial mismanagement at the medical college. The case has sparked significant attention, reflecting the broader issues of corruption and governance in public institutions.