Calcutta: On Thursday, an audio clip surfaced on social media purporting to record the first three conversations between the parents of the doctor-educator who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 and an employee of the institution.
The content of the clip, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified by HT, matched what the victim’s parents previously told the media. They said they received the initial information from a woman who identified herself as the hospital’s deputy director but did not reveal her name.
On August 14, Dr. Arunava Dutta Chowdhury, who was until then in-charge of the pulmonary department where the alleged crime had taken place, told the media that the calls had been made by Sucharita Sarkar, a non-medical deputy medical officer.
Sarkar, who was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has not appeared before the media since August 9.
In the recording of the first alleged phone call, the caller told the victim’s father: “Your daughter is very sick and has been admitted to the hospital. Can you come quickly?”
When the father asked what had happened, the woman said, “She is not well. The doctors can tell what happened to her. We found your number and are calling you to inform you.”
In the audio clip of the second alleged conversation, the caller said: “She is very ill and was admitted to the emergency room. I can’t say what happened to her. Only the doctors can tell you. Can you come right away?”
When the victim’s father asked the woman’s identity, she said: “I am a deputy superintendent. I am not a doctor.”
On the third call, the woman said, “She probably committed suicide. Maybe she’s dead. The police are here and we’re all here. Come as fast as you can.”
The victim’s father had apparently put his phone on speaker so that his wife could also hear the conversation.
While the autopsy report said the woman died sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. on August 9, hospital officials claimed the body was discovered around 9 a.m. in the pulmonary department seminar room on the third floor of the emergency room building.
The victim’s father said on August 9 that he received the first call from the hospital at 10:53 a.m. and then received two more calls before he and his wife reached the hospital. He did not mention the time of the second and third calls.
“The woman did not identify herself but said that my daughter was unwell and we should rush to the hospital. She identified herself as the deputy director and said that my daughter was in critical condition. On the third call, she said that my daughter had committed suicide,” the victim’s father said on August 9.
The parents, who live in North 24 Parganas district, avoided contact with the media on Thursday and did not take calls after the audio clips surfaced.
They had earlier alleged that both the Kolkata Police and the hospital administration had tried to withhold information from them but had not conducted proper investigations.
Sanjay Roy (31), a volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was arrested by the police as the prime suspect on August 10.
Officials of the Kolkata police declined to comment on the audio clips, saying the case was being investigated by the CBI under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
The CBI began its investigation on August 14, less than 24 hours after the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the federal agency. The court passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the victim’s parents. The CBI has not arrested anyone so far.
Soumyadip Roy, a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, said, “We have been alleging from the beginning that the hospital administration was trying to cover up the crime. This needs to be thoroughly investigated.”
