Senior officers of Kolkata Police on Monday came out in support of Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Tala Police who has been arrested by the CBI for allegedly tampering with evidence in the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Hospital, saying that he did “everything required for a transparent and fair investigation”.
Additional Commissioner of Police V Solomon Nesakumar, accompanied by Deputy Commissioners Vidisha Kalita and Arish Bilal, met Mondal’s family at their residence on Monday to express solidarity and support.
“As far as I believe, the OC was not at fault. What he did was in good faith. He reached the (crime) spot as quickly as he could. He did everything that is required for a transparent and fair investigation,” Nesakumar told mediapersons after meeting Mondal’s family.
“As Kolkata Police, we are a family. We are with him and we will be with him,” Nesakumar added.
While he refrained from commenting on the specific allegations against Mondal, saying the matter was sub-judice, Nesakumar said the police department would provide Mondal and his family with all necessary support.
On Saturday, the CBI, which is probing the rape-murder case on the direction of the Calcutta High Court, arrested former principal of RG Kar Medical College Sandip Ghosh and Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal for alleged delay in FIR and tampering with evidence.
Seeking their remand, the CBI on Sunday told the court that Ghosh and Mondal played “vital roles” in the crime. The two were in touch with each other, and Ghosh issued instructions to the policeman on how to proceed with the rape-murder case, the central probe agency claimed.
The CBI alleged that Mondal and Ghosh were involved in “disturbing the crime scene, tampering with evidence, violating official rules, criminal conspiracy and misleading investigators”.
The CBI claimed that Mondal took an “unusually long time to arrive at the scene of the crime”, although it was “only a five-minute drive”. The CBI also raised questions regarding the filing of a “general diary by the police, stating that the victim was lying unconscious”, and pointed out a “14-hour delay in registering an FIR.”
The court remanded both Ghosh and Mondal in CBI custody until September 17.
Mondal’s arrest has led to widespread concern among Kolkata Police officers. Sources said that several officers, including those from Mondal’s batch and junior colleagues, met Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal on Sunday to ensure proper legal assistance for him.
The Kolkata Police has also decided to provide increased security to Mondal’s family.
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