KOLKATA: India’s federal police have charged the former head of R. G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata with tampering with evidence linked to the rape and murder of a junior female doctor, a case that triggered weeks of nationwide protests.

Former college principal Sandip Ghosh is already in police custody for suspected graft. The additional charges were made against him in a petition filed on Saturday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) before a court.

The CBI also arrested Abhijit Mondal, the officer in charge of police station that has jurisdiction over the college, for failing to protect the crime scene, a source with a direct knowledge of the matter said.

Asked about Mondal’s arrest, a senior Kolkata police official said: “We will respond to the charges in court.” The lawyer representing Ghosh could not be immediately reached for comment.

The rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor, whose body was found at the college more than a month ago, set off a wave of protests by doctors demanding greater safety for women in the workplace and justice for their slain colleague.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024