On January 10, 2023, the WBHRC took suo motu cognizance of the matter and sought a detailed report from the Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department by January 31, 2023.
In August last year, the shocking rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata drew statewide attention. However, months before this tragic incident, the hospital’s former principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, was already under investigation by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC).
Allegations Against Dr. Sandip Ghosh
Dr. Ghosh faced allegations of sending five dead bodies from the hospital’s mortuary to the Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) department without conducting post-mortem examinations. Additionally, he was accused of involvement in financial irregularities at the state-run hospital. Dr. Ghosh was arrested in September last year and is currently in jail.
However, his legal counsel, Zohab Rahuf, denied all accusations, stating, “The order of the WBHRC has been passed in ignorance of facts and without hearing my client in contravention of the principles of natural justice. It is in the teeth of the Calcutta High Court’s Order in WPA(P) 614 of 2023, which completely exonerated my client from such baseless allegations. Unfortunately, such an order was not even brought to the Commission’s notice.”
Background
The controversy began in January 2023 during a workshop on endoscopic sinus surgery at RG Kar Hospital, part of its Golden Jubilee state conference. On January 10, 2023, the WBHRC took suo motu cognizance of the matter and sought a detailed report from the Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department by January 31, 2023.
An initial inquiry by a committee of doctors from RG Kar Medical College was submitted to the WBHRC in March 2023. According to the report, the bodies were sent to the ENT workshop after verbal consent from jurisdictional police and the deceased’s families. Written permission from the police was obtained later. The report emphasized that the workshop demonstrated only external anatomy without interfering with post-mortem processes.
However, the WBHRC rejected this report, questioning why prior written permission was not obtained from the deceased’s relatives and police. The commission highlighted that post-facto permission lacked clarity regarding the date and involved authorities.
Dissatisfied with the second report, the WBHRC summoned doctors and departmental heads for statements. In September 2023, a former head of the Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT) department at RG Kar filed a complaint alleging a deeper conspiracy.
The complaint stated, “The entire event was an issue of a bigger conspiracy done by principal, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh and the Demonstrator, Deptt. of Forensic Medicine, RG Kar.”
It further mentioned that the ENT department had initially requested dead bodies for academic purposes, and the complainant had agreed to provide unclaimed bodies or those donated through the anatomy department. However, Dr. Ghosh allegedly tried to manipulate post-mortem records and pressured the morgue attendant to make certain entries on January 11, 2023. The attendant refused, stating that the reports were already uploaded online.
The complainant also claimed, “The former principal of RG Kar Medical was responsible for everything.”
Dr. Ghosh initially cited “urgent domestic work” to avoid appearing before the Commission in September 2023. However, he eventually recorded his statement in January 2024, denying all allegations.
During his statement, Dr. Ghosh said,
“While giving his statement before the Commission, Dr. Sandip Ghosh claimed that he had no knowledge of the rejection of request letter by the HOD, FMT department, R G Kar Medical College & Hospital for supplying of corpses for workshop.”
He admitted, “While making his statement before the Investigation Wing, Dr. Sandip Ghosh admitted that dissection of dead bodies, prior to post-mortem examination, without any order or without observing any formalities, is a gross negligence.”
However, the WBHRC dismissed his defense, stating, “Dr Sandip Ghosh was the Principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital…while making his statement before the Commission, he tried to evade his responsibility by saying that he was not directly or indirectly involved in the incident and he had just forwarded the letter to the HOD, FMT. Dr Ghosh tried to clarify by stating that he had no knowledge about the rejection of the prayer for supplying dead bodies to the workshop earlier by the complainant. This clarification or explanation is not tenable at all. More so, he himself had admitted that dissection of dead bodies’ prior to post-mortem examination, without any order or without observing any formalities, is gross negligence. That means he not only allowed the dead bodies to be placed before the workshop but also allowed those dead bodies to be dissected before post-mortem with the knowledge of the consequences of such dissection prior to post-mortem examination. The then principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was also responsible for the incident.”
WBHRC’s Recommendations
In January 2024, the WBHRC recommended disciplinary action against Dr. Ghosh and others for providing false and misleading evidence, obstructing the investigation into the wrongful use of cadavers.
The Commission requested the “Chief Secretary of West Bengal to inform us about the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations within three months.”
WBHRC member Basudeb Banerjee refrained from commenting, stating,
“The Commission’s decision is in the public domain.”
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