KOLKATA: After a violent mob vandalised vehicles, the protest site and the building of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, a final-year MBBS student from Kolkata, Anupam Roy, on Thursday, accused the mob of deliberately vandalising the crime spot and sought the support of the public for extending support to ensure a secured environment for doctors.
“Yesterday, we were having a peaceful protest, we had planned to arrange a rally of female nurses, doctors and students. When we were getting ready to start the rally, a huge mob came. We requested them to continue their rally and not try to interfere here as there are female protesters. Then the mob tried to get into our protest, shockingly there used to be a lot of police when protests used to happen but when the mob arrived, there was a very small number of police personnel present at the spot”, the final-year MBBS student said.
On Wednesday night, a mob entered the RG Kar hospital campus and vandalised the protesting site, vehicles, and public property, forcing security officials to disperse the mob. He further stated, “When the mob entered we took our female protestors to the medical college. We were continuously requesting the mob to not enter here. We requested police to deploy more force. We called DC but he did not pick up the phone. Police were silent saying that they had no orders”.
#WATCH | Visuals from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where a mob enters the campus, vandalised protesting site, vehicles and public property
A protest was being held by the doctors in the campus of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital against the rape-murder of the trainee… pic.twitter.com/yY0bwMj9Zj
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2024
“For the protection we are fighting for was not there. We were even unprotected during the movement. An outside mob attacked us during the movement. State government and police should take responsibility for this”, he added.
He stated, “When the mob entered we ran to look for the safe places to hide. The mob vandalised everything. They did not stop there. The mob went to the crime spot. we were shocked that the mob just came to tamper with the evidence and break the protest in a targeted and organised way”.
The mob also vandalised a car belonging to the Kolkata Police. The driver of the car that was vandalised, Badyu Jamaan, said, “The crowd came suddenly and damaged the car. A brick hit me on my back when I was standing by the side of my car”.
Demanding security for doctors, one of the protesting doctors said, “We will not let this happen. We will accelerate our protest until the time our safety and security get ensured, until the time we get justice for the crime”.
“We will accelerate our protest more from tomorrow. we will not tolerate anymore; we have already tolerated a lot. I appeal to the public to come in support of us. we are doctors and we are trying to treat others and want to ensure a secure environment for this”, he added.
Earlier, after a violent mob vandalised the building of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee said, “The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits.
In a post on X, the TMC general secretary said that he has urged the Kolkata Commissioner of Police to identify and arrest every individual responsible for the violence in the next 24 hours.
“As a public representative, I just spoke with the Kolkata CP, urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliation”, he said.
He further stated that the demands of doctors were fair and justified and this is the minimum they should expect from the government. “The demands of the protesting doctors are fair and justified. This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritised”, he added.
On August 9, a post-graduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The victim’s family has alleged that she was raped and murdered. This incident has triggered a nationwide protest by doctors and medical fraternities. (ANI)