RG Kar hospital vandalised by mob
Case of rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata
Kolkata – Protests are ongoing across the country following the recent incident of a trainee female doctor being raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. After the Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation of this incident to the CBI, the very next day, a mob of more than 40 people attacked the hospital and vandalised it. This attack took place late at night on 14th August. The mob also attacked the Police. At that time, the Police had to use tear gas shells to disperse the attackers. As soon as the news of this incident spread, hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. The identity of the attackers remains unclear. According to the Police Commissioner, the attackers were threatening to kill the Police personnel. This suggests that the attackers were not protesters but criminals. It is suspected that this attack was carried out to destroy evidence related to the rape of the female doctor.
On the night of 14th August, at 11:55 PM, a demonstration was ongoing outside the hospital as part of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign. Carrying placards, thousands of women from all sections of society took to the streets, demanding justice for the victim. The demonstrations were very peaceful; however, after some time, the protest turned violent. The mob forcibly broke the barricades and entered the hospital and vandalised it. The mob also damaged the hospital’s emergency ward and some Police vehicles parked outside. To disperse the crowd, the Police had to resort to lathi-charge and tear gas.
Vandalism was a result of the protest : Police Commissioner
Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has held the social media campaign responsible for the vandalism. He said that what happened here was due to the misleading campaign on social media, which is unfortunate. What did the Kolkata Police not do ? We have done everything in this case. We have tried to satisfy the victim’s family; however, rumors are being spread against us. I am very displeased. We did nothing wrong.
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