Kolkata, Dec 19: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the plea filed earlier in the day, seeking a fresh probe in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises in August.

In their petition, the victim’s parents have claimed that they are highly unsatisfied with the present course of investigation by the CBI in the matter, a single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh has directed the central agency to submit its point of view on the matter to the court.

The next hearing on the matter has been scheduled for December 24 and before that, the CBI will have to submit its response and report to Justice Ghosh’s bench.

According to the parents, since the trial process in the matter has already started and the statements of the witnesses are being recorded, unless the Calcutta High Court intervenes in the matter right now, there might be possibilities of the probe going in the wrong direction.

Since the time a special court in Kolkata last week granted default bail to two individuals accused of tampering with the evidence since the CBI was unable to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the day of their arrest, the victim’s parents, as well as the representatives of the state’s medical fraternity, had been accusing the CBI of gross incompetence in the matter.

The CBI has come under scathing criticism because of its failure to submit the supplementary charge sheet against former and controversial Principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal. Following its failure to submit the charge sheet within the stipulated period, both Ghosh and Mondal were granted default bail in the case by a special court in Kolkata last week.

While Ghosh continues to be behind bars because of the parallel probe by the CBI against him in the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, Mondal is already out on bail.

Recently, the victim’s parents have also changed their counsel representing them at the Supreme Court.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella of the body of junior doctors in the state spearheading the movement on this issue, has already threatened to resume their protests which they withdrew earlier keeping the larger public interest in mind.

Srinagar, Dec 18: Security forces said on Wednesday that a large cache of arms, ammunition and narcotics was recovered during searches in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kupwara district.

Officials said on Wednesday, “Security forces, including the Army and the police recovered four pistols, six pistol magazines, four kilograms of narcotics, and other incriminating materials during a search operation in the general area of Amrohi, Tangdhar in Kupwara District.”

Security forces have started an aggressive campaign against terrorists, their Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in order to dismantle the terror ecosystem in J&K.

Properties worth multiples of crores belonging to drug smugglers and peddlers have been attached in Kashmir Valley after obtaining requisite orders from the competent authority.

Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha has been chairing top-level security meetings.

During these meetings the LG has given clear orders to the security forces to go all-out against the terror ecosystem.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah is chairing a top level security review meeting regarding J&K on Thursday in Delhi.

Chiefs of Intelligence agencies, police, CAPFs and others connected with the anti-terrorist grid in J&K will attend the meeting.

Security forces revised their strategy after terrorists carried out some dastardly attacks in the aftermath of peaceful people participative Lok Sabha and legislative Assembly elections in J&K.

These elections were witnessed by diplomats of many countries and this, according to Intelligence agencies, has frustrated the terror handlers sitting across the border in Pakistan.

Intelligence inputs indicate that the terror handlers have given directions to terrorists in J&K to give dying terrorism its last push.

Heightened vigilance is also being maintained at the border in J&K following reports that terrorists are waiting at the launching pads to sneak into the Indian side of the border before the mountain passes are closed by this season’s snow.

Kolkata, Dec 17: A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday morning admitted a petition by the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, an umbrella association of senior doctors, challenging the denial of permission from Kolkata Police to stage a 10-day sit-in-demonstration to protest the “default bail” to two accused — Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal — of tampering of evidence.

However, the original schedule of the sit-in-protest which was to start from Tuesday evening till December 26, had been upset since the hearing into the matter is likely to take place on Wednesday, confirmed an office bearer of the association.

The association had earlier sent an email communiqué to Kolkata Police seeking permission for the sit-in-demonstration at Dorina Crossing in central Kolkata. However, as the police denied the permission citing the possibility of traffic congestion in the area as the reason, the association on Tuesday morning approached Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, challenging the denial of police permission, which was admitted.

Last Friday, the special court in Kolkata granted “default bail” to the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal, following CBI’s failure to file a charge sheet against them the stipulated within 90 days of their arrests.

Both Ghosh and Mondal were accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence during the initial investigation carried out by the Kolkata Police.

The CBI has so far filed only one charge sheet in the matter where civic volunteer Sanjay Roy has been identified as the “sole prime” accused in the rape and murder case.

Already West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella body of junior doctors in the state, has threatened to resume their ceasework protest which they withdrew earlier keeping the larger public interest in mind.

The parents of the victim lady doctor have already claimed that following CBI’s failure in the matter “protests on the streets” with spontaneous public support is the only way out left for them now.