RG Kar scam raid: After two-hour wait, ED officials enter Sandip Ghosh's house

Kolkata, Sep 6 (IANS) Finally after waiting for over two hours, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were able to enter the residence of Sandip Ghosh, the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital here.

Although the ED officials reached his residence located at Beliaghata in central Kolkata around 7.30 a.m., they were unable to enter the house. The main gate of the house was locked from outside and nobody from inside was replying.

However, sometime after 9.30 a.m., the ED officials managed to get the lock at the entry gate opened and managed to enter the house.

As per the latest information, the team of ED officials are already inside the house and the accompanying Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel outside have cordoned off the entire house.

To, recall, the officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who are conducting a parallel investigation into the case of financial irregularities at R.G Kar encountered the same experience while they attempted a raid and search operation at the same residence of Ghosh on August 25.

The team of CBI sleuths, which reached Ghosh’s residence that morning, had to wait for almost 90 minutes outside before ultimately the entrance door was opened, and the central agency officials could enter.

Ghosh and four others are currently in CBI custody over their alleged involvement in the financial irregularities case.

The ED’s entry into the investigation has started following the filing of an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the matter.

While the CBI had to start an investigation following the direction of a single-judge bench in the matter, the ED has taken suo motu entry into the matter.

The ED always has greater flexibility than the CBI in starting an investigation in any case. While CBI can enter the investigation scene only under two circumstances, the first being clearance from the state government concerned and the second being a court order, there are no such restrictions on ED in such matters.

While ordering a CBI probe in the matter last month, Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj observed that since the central agency is already probing the case of a ghastly rape and murder of woman doctor of R.G Kar, it would be better that the same agency conducts a parallel investigation into the case of financial irregularities at the same hospital.