A mob has vandalised a government hospital in Kolkata during a midnight protest by doctors against the recent rape and murder of a colleague. The emergency ward in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has been completely destroyed, said a police official.
Cops fired tear gas shells and used lathi-charge as the protest turned violent late last night.
Visuals showed stones being pelted on the hospital campus which left several cops bloodied. An official said they tried to block the mob – which included dozens of unidentified men – from entering the hospital. But couldn’t.
At least two police vehicles were vandalized while a bike was set on fire outside the hospital.
A huge crowd had assembled at the hospital just before midnight to mark their protest against the incident that has shaken the country – part of a nationwide agitation to “reclaim the night” and make it safer for women.
The protesters toppled barricades and demanded justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor. As the protest at RG Kar hospital turned violent, police used tear gas shells and lathi-charged them to bring the situation under control.
Riot control police were also out on the streets.
Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal, who reached the hospital around 2 am, accused the media of running a “malicious campaign”.
“What happened here is due to a wrong and motivated media campaign. Because of a malicious media campaign, Kolkata Police lost the trust of the people. There is so much pressure from the media,” he said early Thursday morning.
Surrounded by reporters, the senior cop declared he was “extremely angry” and denied mishandling the probe.
“I am telling you from the core of my heart, from every member of the team, that we have not tried to save anyone. We are a responsible force, we can’t destroy evidence just like that,” the chief defended his team.
Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, the second in command in ruling Trinamool, said he has urged the Police Commissioner to ensure that those responsible for the violence are made to face the law within the next 24 hours, “regardless of their political affiliations.”
The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits. As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata , urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law…
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) August 14, 2024
“The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits…The demands of the protesting doctors are fair and justified. This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritized,” said the Trinamool national general secretary.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged the mob included “Trinamool goons” who were given a “safe passage” by the cops.
Mamata Banerjee has sent her TMC goons to the apolitical Protest Rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
She thinks that she is the most shrewd person in the whole world and people won’t be able to figure out the cunning plan that her goons appearing as protestors would… pic.twitter.com/1CPI2f1KUr— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) August 14, 2024
“Mamata Banerjee has sent her TMC goons to the apolitical Protest Rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital…They were given safe passage by the Police, who either ran away or looked the other way so that these lumpens would enter the hospital premises and destroy areas containing crucial evidence so that it doesn’t get picked up by the CBI,” said the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
The midnight protests continued peacefully elsewhere in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate medical trainee.
The doctor was found dead on August 9 morning and the cops later confirmed she was raped and murdered while on duty. Her autopsy has revealed chilling and unthinkable details of the injuries she suffered.
The incident has sparked protests and strikes by resident doctors across the country.
A civic volunteer – named as the main accused who frequented the hospital – was arrested on August 10. The probe was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Calcutta High Court on August 13.
