.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Nurses at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital staged a protest on Thursday after a mob vandalised a part of the state-run institution where a trainee doctor was found dead last week. Kolkata Police, however, said the crime scene of the brutal rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor was intact, and 9 people were arrested in connection with the violence.
Police said a group of nearly 40–50 people, under the garb of protests, stormed the hospital premises late on Wednesday night and vandalised property. Taken aback, police personnel fired tear gas and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
The incident happened as a group of women hit the streets at midnight under the 'Reclaim the Night' campaign to protest against the murder of the doctor and converged on the hospital premises.
Kolkata Police have arrested 9 people in connection with the violence inside RG Kar Hospital. Police have also recovered several CCTV footages and they are being examined thoroughly, sources said.
In a strongly worded statement, the Indian Medical Association blamed the authorities for negligence. The IMA said the mob attack was a bid to target young medical students protesting against the murder of the trainee doctor.
Kolkata Police, in a post on X, clarified that the crime scene of the brutal rape and murder of the doctor was not been disturbed during the violence. "The crime scene has not been touched. We will initiate legal action for spreading rumours," police said.
The CBI team investigating the murder held a meeting at its headquarters and will visit RG Kar Hospital later in the day to check if the area that they sealed on Wednesday was affected due to the vandalism.
Meanwhile, nurses of the hospital protested against the vandalism on Thursday morning and demanded proper security on the premises. One of the nurses told PTI that the goons also beat up agitating doctors.
The incident has triggered a war of words between the BJP and the ruling TMC. The BJP has demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said the hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar exceeded all acceptable limits and asked the Kolkata Police to identify the culprits and punish them within 24 hours.
In the late night attack, the mob, carrying sticks and rods, vandalised the Emergency ward and a section of the Out Patients Department (OPD) at the hospital. The police outpost in the hospital was also ransacked and vehicles were also damaged.
The police resorted to lathicharge and also fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said that a 'malicious' campaign by the media aggravated the situation.
The semi-naked body of the 32-year-old trainee doctor was found on August 9 in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital. A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, linked to Kolkata Police has been arrested.
