Kolkata:

A consultant psychiatrist on Monday alleged that the victim of the RG Kar hospital rape and murder was suffering from acute mental stress for several reasons and had approached him for professional advice about a month prior to her death on August 9 last year.

Long working hours, bias in shift allotment, and the “information about irregularities” at the state hospital had been causing the 30-year-old doctor such mental unease, Psychiatrist Mohit Ranadip alleged.

In conversation with a major Bengali television channel, the mental health expert said that if required, he is willing to depose before the CBI, which probed the rape-murder.

“She informed me that there were 36 hours of consecutive duty, discrimination in shift allotments in the roster, and the extreme mental tension she was undergoing as she had observed a lot of irregularities in purchase of medicines and equipment.” I enquired if all received the same shifts, she said in the negative,” said Mr Ranadip.

He had told the post-graduate trainee (PGT) some things, he said, and she was to come back for follow-up counselling. “But that was not possible,” said Mr Ranadip.

The woman’s parents and part of her workmates had previously alleged that she was being victimized for reporting some irregularities in the hospital’s purchase of drugs and equipment which she had chanced upon while on duty.

Dr Sandip Ghosh, the then principal of the state-owned RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was arrested in relation to the alleged financial scams in the medical institution.

A number of top leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress had repeatedly emphasized that the party desired a thorough investigation by the CBI, a central agency.

But the party also accused the Left and some groups of filing false complaints against the ruling party to discredit the state government and the health service doctors.

The Calcutta High Court on Monday asked the CBI to bring the case diary in connection with its probe into the rape-murder case on the next date of hearing.

The court wanted to know if the central agency was also exploring the chances of gang rape or evidence destruction in its investigation.

The body of the doctor was found in the seminar room of the state hospital in north Kolkata on August 9, 2024.

Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer, was arrested by Kolkata Police on the charges of raping and killing her. The CBI, which had taken over the probe in the case as per a high court order, also made Roy the only accused.

In January, the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life.