There is anger over the incident of rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in West Bengal. Meanwhile, an incident took place at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College at midnight on Wednesday, which endangered the lives of doctors, patients and common people. Unruly elements disguised as protesters entered the hospital late at night. They created a ruckus in the hospital for an hour. They broke the police barricades and vandalized the campus and also beat up the duty staff. They kept destroying whatever came in their way – hospital doors, windows, beds, medical equipment.
Questions are being raised whether this was a mob attack on the hospital or a conspiracy to destroy evidence? Who allowed them to create ruckus for an hour? Who were these people? Why did the incident happen? Who is involved in this? With what demands did the protesters reach outside the hospital? However, the police say that information about the miscreants is being gathered.
Politics has also started over the vandalism in the hospital. TMC and BJP have started accusing each other. BJP has accused TMC of hooliganism, while TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has said that action will be taken by identifying those who attacked the hospital.
In fact, on August 9, the body of a 31-year-old female resident doctor was recovered from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Blood was flowing from many parts of the body. The neck bone was also broken. It was revealed that the trainee doctor was raped and then murdered. The police investigated the case and arrested the accused named Sanjay. Sanjay is in 14-day police custody. However, the anger of the doctors has not subsided and they are on strike. When the case reached the High Court 5 days after the incident, the court handed over the investigation of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Currently, a CBI team has reached Kolkata.
How many people entered the hospital?
According to the police, about 40 miscreants disguised as protesters entered the hospital premises, damaged property and pelted stones at the police personnel present there. The police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The police said that these miscreants had come with sticks, bricks and rods. The miscreants destroyed several CCTV cameras in and around the area and also vandalised the stage where junior doctors were sitting on protest and strike. In the incident, a police vehicle overturned and several two-wheelers parked there were also damaged. Some police officers have been injured. The hospital staff has started cleaning the damaged emergency ward.
Why did the protesters reach outside the hospital at midnight?
This incident happened when the protesters (mostly women) came out on the streets at midnight under the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign and reached outside the hospital premises. The situation turned violent and the miscreants forcibly entered the hospital. Actually, a women’s protest was called in Kolkata on Wednesday night. This campaign was named ‘Reclaim the Night’. The objective was that women would protest and demand their freedom and security. The campaign started at 11:55 pm on August 14 and then in this protest, not only in Kolkata, but in many other cities and towns also people came out on the streets with placards and banners in their hands. The ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign was given momentum through social media. Later, at around 2 o’clock, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal reached the spot.
What did the crowd do after entering the hospital?
There was news that the miscreants have also vandalized the seminar hall located on the fourth floor of the hospital, where the incident with the female doctor was carried out. However, Kolkata Police has denied this. Police said in a statement, the scene of crime is the seminar room and it has not been touched. Do not spread false news. We will take legal action against those spreading rumors. The pictures are telling how the miscreants created havoc in the hospital. Medical equipment is lying all around inside the hospital. Broken beds of patients and medicines are lying on the floor. The scattered shoes and slippers of people tell what kind of stampede must have happened here.
Broken barricades and chairs are lying around. Even the doors and windows of the hospital have been torn off. Police vehicles parked outside the hospital have also been vandalised. Unknown protesters have also created a ruckus outside the hospital. Outside, where resident doctors were protesting against the incident, chairs, banners and tents were also torn. People’s bags, shoes, slippers and many other essential items were found scattered there.
What is the anger against the protesting doctors?
After the incident on Wednesday night, the resident doctors’ protest had stopped. But on Thursday afternoon, once again the doctors have sat on a dharna in the temporary camp of the medical college by doing RG. Here the doctors are demanding justice. Last night when the rioters entered the hospital, they first broke the permanent camp of the protest site and chased away the doctors. There are reports of some doctors being beaten up. Seeing the rioters violent, the doctors hid to save their lives. The permanent camp was broken. Vandalism was also done in the morning. The doctors say that the police should find out how the rioters entered and why they vandalized the emergency and why they beat up our colleagues?
How did the crowd enter inside… did the intelligence fail?
The protesting doctors have questioned the police’s functioning on the incident. A protesting medical student said, when the rioters entered the hospital at night, our colleagues were protesting here. After the attack, the protesting doctors had to run here and there to save their lives. What happened was very wrong. But the police should be questioned about this incident. How did such a huge crowd enter the hospital? How was that crowd allowed to go inside? An incident had happened two days ago, even then the police was present. Our seniors kept requesting the police. The crowd had tried to enter the hospital even then. A similar incident happened on Wednesday night. How can we believe that the police did not have information or the intelligence service is not good? Nothing happens just by standing all day.
Where did the crowd come from and who were involved?
Another medical student said, the entire incident happened late at night in the presence of police. Police should know everything. They will have to answer. Our colleagues have been beaten up. The entire emergency has been destroyed. This is the act of a mob that came from outside. They came with an intention. Police should find answers to the questions. Since, the rioters have broken all the CCTV cameras installed in the hospital, so that the attackers cannot be identified and no evidence can be collected. However, the CCTV cameras that were installed outside were recovered by the police and 9 people have been arrested on the basis of the footage. Local doctors said that we are living in the shadow of fear. We can be attacked anytime. CBI is investigating. They are not in a position to think about anything. Give us time. We are demanding security.
Hasan Mushtaq, a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College, said, we were about to leave the protest site at 11 pm. But, there was a group of people outside the campus, they were shouting slogans – ‘We want Justice’, but they were not leaving from there. After that the crowd became violent and they were trying to enter the campus. Suddenly they entered inside and started vandalizing. We had already told our women team to leave from there. As soon as they left, the crowd broke the barricade and entered inside and we had to run away from there to save our lives.
What did the eyewitness guard say…
Hospital guard Pranav Das says that he was on duty at the main gate. Suddenly a crowd of about 5000 people came at night. They broke the gate. We ran away to save our lives. Police was also present. The rioters broke whatever they saw in the hospital. These people had come with a plan. It is not known who these people were. They broke all the cameras installed and created a ruckus. They beat people. They did not leave anything.
Why is the medical staff angry with the incident?
Nurses of RG Kar Medical College protested the vandalism incident on Thursday morning and demanded proper security in the campus. The protesting nurses said that such hooliganism inside the hospital is not acceptable. The protesting doctors said, goons entered the campus and beat up the protesting doctors. This is an attempt to break our morale so that we back off from the protest, but such incidents have strengthened our resolve to fight till the end. They alleged that the vandalism was done despite the presence of police personnel. The police post in the hospital was also vandalized.
What did the Police Commissioner say?
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal inspected the spot after the incident. He said, we are investigating the matter. He also said that the wrong media campaign has worsened the situation. He said, what has the police not done to solve this case? But a malicious media campaign is going on, due to which Kolkata Police has lost the trust of the people. We never said that there is only one person (accused). We have said that we are waiting for scientific evidence and it takes time. I cannot arrest a young PG student based only on rumors. There is a lot of media pressure. I am very clear that we have done what is right. A senior police officer said in the morning that they have deployed additional personnel outside the hospital.
BJP said- TMC had sent goons
On the attack, BJP leader Shubhendu Adhikari said, Mamata Banerjee has sent her TMC goons to a non-political protest rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. She thinks she is the smartest person in the whole world and people will not understand the cunningness that her goons appearing as protesters will mix with the crowd and carry out vandalism inside 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 goons could enter the hospital premises and destroy areas containing important evidence so that it cannot be picked up by the CBI.
BJP posted on Twitter and wrote, When peaceful citizens of West Bengal took to the streets, vicious miscreants vandalised RG Kar Hospital in a pre-planned attack, causing chaos and injuries. Where was the Kolkata Police during this brutal attack? Hiding in the shadows and came out only after the damage was done. This is a gross dereliction of duty. Instead of admitting their failure, they have the audacity to make the movement and the media scapegoats. At the same time, SUCI (Communist) called for a 12-hour general strike in West Bengal on August 16 in protest against the barbarity in the hospital. Party state secretary Chandidas Bhattacharya has given this information.
TMC said, the accused should be arrested within 24 hours
Trinamool Congress general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee said, I spoke to Commissioner Goyal and urged him to ensure that everyone responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable and brought to justice within the next 24 hours, irrespective of the political party they belong to. He said in a post on X, the hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight has crossed all acceptable limits. Abhishek Banerjee said, the demands of the protesting doctors are justified. Their safety should be given priority.
Adhir Ranjan said- Mamata does not want the truth to come out
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, Kolkata Police Commissioner just keeps on evading the issue. The Commissioner is brokering because he was promoted. CM Mamata will make every effort to ensure that the truth does not come out. Police works on the orders of the CM. One person has not carried out this incident. CM Mamata is a dictator.
The governor said – we will take strict action
Governor CV Anand Bose said, you all will get justice…I am with you. My eyes and ears are open. We will not allow atrocities against women in the state. We will take strict action against the culprits. The principal of RG Kar Hospital is also shocked by the incident of vandalism in the hospital. Principal Dr. Suharitha Paul said, we do not know who attacked last night. What happened, how it happened – I do not know. The emergency ward is working. I want to say that there was vandalism there but work is still going on there. In a conversation with Aaj Tak, the victim’s father has appealed for justice. He has demanded death penalty for the culprits.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)