On Thursday, August 15, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose visited RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata to assess the situation after unidentified miscreants vandalised the facility in the early hours. Bose spoke with the protesting junior doctors at the medical centre where the body of a postgraduate trainee doctor was discovered on August 9.
Meanwhile, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team, which has taken over the case of the doctor’s alleged rape and murder, visited the victim’s home in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, and interviewed her parents.
In the afternoon, protesting nursing staff surrounded the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, demanding increased security and answers regarding the incident. The previous night, a mob had entered the hospital campus, damaging the protest site, vehicles, and public property, which led to the intervention of security officials to disperse them.
Following his meeting with the protesting doctors, Bose stated, “I am with you and we will work together to solve this. I assure you justice. My ears and eyes are open.”
The governor also toured the emergency department of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where vandalism occurred the previous night.
“What I saw, what I heard, what I was told and what is reported. The incident which took place here is shocking, shattering and deplorable. It is a shame for Bengal and India and humanity. This is the greatest degeneration we have seen around us. The custodians of law have themselves become conspirators,” he said at press conference.
“A section of the police is politicised and criminalised. This rot has to end. The government is responsible for this. The first responsibility lies with the government. We want security so that when you go to work at night you are safe. It is nothing but a bloodbath going on,” he added.
When students inquired about the actions of the mob that vandalised the medical college premises, Bose responded , “Let me go to the police and take stock of the situation, I will discuss it with you and get your opinion and then only we will take action.”
Earlier on Thursday, Kolkata Police clarified that the crime scene of the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College had remained intact despite the mob vandalism that occurred late on the night of August 14.
Anupam Roy, a final-year MBBS student from Kolkata, accused the mob of intentional vandalism and called on the public to support efforts to ensure a safer environment for doctors.
According to the police, approximately 40 individuals, who were posing as protesters, entered the hospital grounds, damaged property, and threw stones at police officers. The police had to use teargas to disperse the crowd. A police vehicle and several two-wheelers at the scene were also damaged during the incident.