RG Kar Ex-Principal Sandip Ghosh charged with Sexual Assault of Hong Kong Nursing Student in 2017

Kolkata: Former RG Kar Medical College Principal Sandip Ghosh, already under scrutiny as the prime suspect in a PG trainee's alleged rape and murder case and facing multiple corruption allegations, is now embroiled in another controversy. This involves allegations from seven years ago, when he was accused of sexually assaulting a male nursing student in Hong Kong.

Sandip Ghosh who is now in judicial custody after being arrested by CBI for alleged corruption during his tenure at the RG Kar Hospital was previously accused of sexual misconduct during a two-month clinical exchange programme at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon in Hong Kong in 2017, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) which mentioned Ghosh as 'Indian Doctor'.

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The incident occurred when Ghosh, who went to the hospital for his clinical exchange program, was accused by a male nursing student of sexual assault in a changing room at the hospital. The student alleged that Ghosh made inappropriate physical contact, including patting his buttocks and attempting to touch his genitals. The nurse also claimed that after the contact, Ghosh asked, "Do you like it?"

At the time, Ghosh held a senior role as the chief physician of the orthopaedics department of Murshidabad Medical College. Later, he was made the principal of RG Kar Medical College in 2018, a year after his return from Hong Kong.

Kolkata-based doctors, speaking to India Today TV, suggested that the man currently in CBI custody is the same Sandip Ghosh involved in the 2017 Hong Kong case.

Following the incident, Ghosh denied the allegations in court, pleading not guilty and asserting that the incident was a misunderstanding. According to his defence, he was demonstrating a shoulder-bone adjustment technique and accidentally made contact with the nurse’s hip. He also claimed that his words were misheard due to his accent, stating that he said, "Do it like this," rather than, "Do you like it."

The case was brought before the Kowloon City Court, where Ghosh faced charges of indecent assault. Ghosh pled not guilty, defending his actions by citing a recurring shoulder dislocation issue. According to his testimony, he was demonstrating a technique to realign the shoulder joint and unintentionally made contact with the nursing student, SCMP reported. 

David Boyton, Ghosh’s defence attorney, argued that the nursing student had misinterpreted Ghosh's actions and exaggerated the incident. Ghosh himself strongly denied any wrongdoing, stating, "Before God, I'm telling the truth. I had no bad intentions."

Supporting Ghosh’s defence, his supervisor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital presented medical evidence, including an MRI scan, which confirmed Ghosh’s history of shoulder dislocations. This evidence suggested that Ghosh's physical condition may have led him to demonstrate the technique in question, lending credibility to his explanation.

The case resulted in Ghosh’s acquittal, with the court accepting his defence. The Asia Times reported that the Kowloon City magistrate accepted Ghosh’s account, noting the possibility of a misunderstanding due to language barriers, as the nursing student may have misinterpreted Ghosh’s English accent.

While Ghosh was ultimately cleared of the charges, his time in Hong Kong was cut short as a result of the incident. According to a South China Morning Post follow-up report, the trial led to the abrupt cancellation of his two-month clinical exchange program. Ghosh had only worked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for a few days before his posting was terminated due to legal proceedings.

"Due to the lawsuit, the hospital stopped his posting, and therefore he actually only worked there for a few days," a medical sector source told the South China Morning Post.

Sandip Ghosh has been at the centre of backlash over the Kolkata rape and murder case, as he was the principal of the college when the postgraduate doctor was killed. Ghosh also allegedly ordered a renovation of the area near the crime scene a day after the victim's body was found, leading to the likely destruction of evidence.

In a simultaneous probe being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate, Ghosh has been accused of financial irregularities in the college during his tenure as the principal, when he allegedly siphoned off funds.

The body of a 31-year-old junior doctor was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College on August 9, with the autopsy report showing signs of rape and murder. The victim's family accused the hospital authorities of trying to cover up the crime, initially telling the parents that their daughter died by “suicide.”

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