Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim: Sanjay Roy, the accused in the RG Kar case celebrated his birthday in the office of ex-principal “Sandip Ghosh” at RG Kar Medical College.
Fact: The person seen standing beside Dr Sandeep Ghosh and cutting the cake is not Sanjay Roy, but one Prasun Chatterjee, a data entry operator at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.
Rape and murder of an on-duty female doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has sent shockwaves across the country and that has since reverberated across the world. While one suspect has already been arrested, the CBI is still investigating the case and the former principal of Dr Sandeep Ghosh is under investigation.
Meanwhile, an image is making the rounds on social media that shows a person cutting a cake in front of Dr Sandeep Ghosh. Posting the image on their X handle, a user claimed that the man sen in the image was Sanjay Roy, the accused in the Kolkata Rape-Murder case, who was celebrating his birthday with Dr Sandeep Ghosh.
Fact Check/ Verification
A reverse image search of the viral image led us to an X-handle, @SanghamitraLIVE, which posted the same image on August 29, 2024, and claimed the said person was not Sanjay Roy, the accused of the case, but Prasun Chatterjee, a Data entry operator of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital and part-time personal assistant of Dr Sandeep Ghosh.
Further investigation revealed an Instagram post shared on August 28 by a handle named CNMCRDA (Calcutta National Medical College Resident Doctors’ Association, that featured the same image. The post identifies the man as Prasun Chatterjee, a data entry operator at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMC&H). The post also claimed that Mr Chatterjee was a close aide of the former principal of Dr Sandeep Ghosh and was also present at the crime scene on August 9.
Later we found a Facebook profile under the name Prasenjit Dey, who had posted the same image on January 3, 2020, and captioned it, “Birthday celebration, of Prasun Chatterjee at MSVP office, CNMCH” and tagged another profile named, Prasun Chatterjee Rana. The bio section of that profile states that he also works at Calcutta National Medical College.
A video from the aftermath of the RG Kar rape and murder case has recently emerged, showing this Prasun Chatterjee at the crime scene with Sandeep Ghosh after the incident. This has led to an investigation into Chatterjee’s role in the case as well.
We have also reached out to Chatterjee and will update the article with his response.
However, it is safe to conclude that the person seen standing beside Dr Sandeep Ghosh and cutting the cake was not Sanjay Roy, the accused of the RG Kar rape and murder case, but an individual named Prasun Chatterjee.
Result: False
Sources
Instagram post by CNMCRDA (Calcutta National Medical College Resident Doctors’ Association
Tweet by @SanghamitraLIVE, dated August 29, 2024
Facebook post by Prasenjit Dey, dated January 3, 2020
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
