By Shannon O’Connor
Doctor Associated with Gang-rape Case De-clutters Phone
   Tim Alamenciak, a Toronto Star reporter addressed a topical legal issue in Thursday’s newspaper. The staff reporter discussed a criminal case regarding Dr. Amitabh Chauhan and his longtime friend Dr. Suganthan Kayilasanathan. Dr. Chauhan is facing charges for allegedly drugging and gang-raping a female medical student. The doctor de-cluttered his cell phone of all text messages and phone calls. Dr. Chauhan tampered with potential evidence and has formulated a guilty persona. Dr. Chauhan would not have felt the need to immediately erase the log history on his cell phone and potential evidence if he was not guilty. Crown attorney Sweeny, conducted a cross-examination of Dr. Chauhan this past week. The Crown discovered that Dr. Chauhan indeed de-cluttered his cell phone, which raised suspicion. The defendant claimed that he de-clutters his cell phone on a regular basis in order to keep himself organized. The organization of the doctor’s phone is a weekly ritual and had nothing to do with hiding potential evidence. Sweeny’s cross-examination raised numerous issues and unanswered questions. It is worth noting that the victim reported being unable to defend herself during the sexual assault, this is attributed to Dr. Chauhan and his childhood friend drugging the plaintiff. Dr. Chauhan provided a very different story than the testimony delivered by the plaintiff. Dr. Chauhan argued that he has experienced a memory lapse and could not recall the events of the incident. The doctor denied committing the sexual assault and asserted that the plaintiff commenced the sexual encounter. It is worth noting that since this case was made apparent to the greater society another sexual assault victim has come forward with allegations against Dr. Chauhan. Dr. Chauhan’s case remains under investigation as a judgment has yet to be determined.
Works Cited
Alamenciak, Tim. “MD in gang-rape case wiped phone, Crown says.†Toronto Star 29 May 2014: GT4. Print.
I believe that the actions of Dr. Chauhan prove that he has a guilty mind. By tampering with his phone, while being aware that he is being investigated, and experiencing a memory lapse it raises suspicion. It seems as if he is trying to cover his tracks and get rid of any possible physical evidence that he may have. However, I would have to read further into this case to get a better understanding.