In the early hours of Thursday, a violent clash erupted at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital when a group of miscreants broke through barricades and attacked protesting doctors, causing extensive damage to hospital property. The unrest unfolded around midnight during the ‘Reclaim the Nights’ protest rallies, which were organized to demand justice for a young doctor who had been raped and murdered at the hospital. The rallies, drawing participants from across the city, escalated as nearly 40 individuals, allegedly posing as protesters, infiltrated the hospital premises, vandalizing the emergency building and injuring police officers.
The intruders, described as wearing shorts and vests, wreaked havoc in the emergency department, damaging beds occupied by patients and forcing doctors, nurses, and police officers to flee. The police, overwhelmed by the violence, resorted to using tear gas to disperse the mob. The chaos also extended outside the hospital, where a police vehicle and several two-wheelers were damaged, and some officers sustained injuries.
As tensions peaked at the hospital, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal arrived on the scene around 2 a.m. He criticized the media for what he called a “malicious campaign” against the police, defending the department’s handling of the investigation. Goyal assured the public that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would conduct a fair probe and that the police would fully cooperate, dismissing claims that they were trying to shield anyone.
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