Kolkata Doctor Murder Case: No ‘Gang Rape’, Sanjay Roy Sole Accused In CBI Remand Note

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing into the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month, has not mentioned “gang rape” in its remand note submitted before a trial court in Kolkata on Friday, people aware of the development said.

The Kolkata Police, which was probing into the case in the initial stage, had lodged a first information report (FIR) under sections 64 (rape) and 103 (1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on August 9. Later the CBI registered a FIR under the same sections, when it was directed by the Calcutta high court to investigate the case. The additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) court in Sealdah sent Sanjay Roy to 14 days of judicial custody.

“The agency, while seeking judicial custody for Roy before the ACJM court on Friday, didn’t include section 70 (1) of the BNS (section for gang rape) in the remand note indicating that Roy is the only accused in the case so far,” an official aware of the details told HT.

The official, however, said that investigators may add penal sections at any stage of the case depending on how the probe was progressing. Even though the Kolkata Police’s detective department was handling the case initially, the CBI has been probing into it since August 13 on the orders after the Calcutta high court.

No CBI official commented on this.

Roy is the only person arrested in the case so far. He was arrested by the Kolkata Police a day after the crime. The case was later handed over to the CBI.

“Our probe revealed that Roy was the only person involved in the crime. He also confessed to the crime. All documents and materials related to the case were handed over to the CBI on the orders of the Calcutta high court,” said a senior officer of the Kolkata Police.

While allegations of evidence being tampered have been surfacing for long, on August 22 the CBI had told the Supreme Court that the crime scene was altered. The state government had, however, refuted the charges.

Later videos went viral on social media which purportedly showed that a crowd had gathered in the seminar hall of the hospital where the junior doctor’s body was found. Kolkata Police later claimed that the crime scene was cordoned off and no unauthorised persons had entered the area. But subsequently questions were raised on the identity of two persons in the cordoned off area.

Roy, however, has claimed before the ACJM court that he was being framed.