I Am With You…”: Bengal Governor After Doctors Say They Feel “Insecure

Kolkata:

Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose said Thursday “positive action… which will be exemplary for others” will be taken against those who vandalised the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata late last night.

Parts of the hospital were trashed – by an as yet unidentified mob – during protests against the rape and murder of a junior doctor, on campus, last week. Mr Bose this afternoon met doctors from various state-run institutions who sought his intervention over the violence.

The doctors, mostly women, told him they were “insecure” following the killing and violence. They also told the Governor they had been left “traumatised and terrorised”, to which Mr Bose vowed assistance.

“I am with you. We will fight it out and not allow these ghastly things. We will take positive action which will be exemplary for others,” the Governor told the group of around 20 doctors.

The delegation also told the Governor the mob wanted to destroy evidence related to the killing of the 31-year-old doctor, whose body was found early on August 10. The autopsy had revealed horrific injuries to her genitals, hands, and legs, and shards of glass were found in one eye.

READ | “Spectacles Shattered, Glass In Eyes”: Autopsy Of Raped Doctor

The killing prompted massive protests by doctors in Bengal and across the country, culminating in a ‘reclaim the night’ movement that began yesterday at 11.55 pm. Tens of thousands of protesters, mostly women, gathered at public spaces in Kolkata, Delhi, and other cities, to demand safety for women.

However, the protests turned violent in the Bengal capital after a mob went on the rampage at the RG Kar Hospital. It is unclear who they were. Visuals showed stones being pelted inside the campus and several injured policemen. Officials said they tried to block the mob from entering but they could not.

READ | Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired

The police then had to use tear gas and lathi charges to control the violence. The police, though, have said that contrary to reports being spread on social media, the vandals did not damage the crime scene.

READ | Mob Vandalised Doctor Rape Murder Case Crime Scene? Cops Respond

Responding to reports the fourth-floor room in which the doctor’s body was found had been trashed, the cops said on X (formerly Twitter), “Crime scene has not been touched. Don’t spread unverified news…” and warned of legal action against those spreading rumours.

Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal, who was on the ground during the mob attack at the hospital, was more forceful, and 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.”

The senior cop also denied claims his officers had mishandled the investigation.

The police have arrested nine people so far in connection with the violence.

On Wednesday Mr Bose – who has had frequent public run-ins with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government since his appointment – told reporters of the “alleged connivance of the police”.

READ | “Women Attacked, Disrobed, On Bengal’s Streets”: Governor Turns The Screw

The Calcutta High Court, which has handed the investigation over to the CBI, this week heard a petition by the doctor’s parents, who alleged negligence by hospital authorities and the cops.

The police, though, have firmly dismissed any such claim and stressed that their handling of the case, including communications with the parents, and their investigation into the killing adhered to protocols. In a post on X yesterday the cops also hit back at rumours they had initially filed a case of ‘suicide’ and that they had rushed to cremate the doctor’s body.