The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the formation of a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe alleged attempts to suppress or manipulate evidence in the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case involving a trainee doctor.

The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Justices Shampa Sarkar and Tirthankar Ghosh, which said the investigation must cover the entire sequence of events from the evening the victim had dinner at the hospital in August 2024 up to her cremation the following day. The court emphasised the need for a deeper probe given the “social ramifications” of the case.

According to the order, the SIT will be headed by the CBI’s joint director (east), with two additional members to be appointed within 48 hours. The team has been tasked specifically with examining allegations of evidence destruction and claims made by the victim’s parents that there were attempts to dilute or conceal key aspects of the investigation in the immediate aftermath of the crime.

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The case pertains to the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, an incident that sparked widespread outrage across West Bengal and drew national attention, particularly from the medical community. The brutality of the crime led to protests and renewed debates on safety in healthcare institutions.

While civic volunteer Sanjay Roy has already been sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the crime, the victim’s family has continued to seek further investigation, alleging that more than one person may have been involved and that critical evidence was not adequately preserved or examined.

The High Court has directed the SIT to submit a comprehensive report by June 25, when the matter will next be taken up for hearing. The order underscores continuing judicial scrutiny into procedural conduct and investigative integrity in one of the state’s most high-profile criminal cases in recent years.

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