Kolkata Doctor Rape Case: Mob Vandalises Hospital; Top Police Official Blames 'Malicious Media Campaign'

A mob entered the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and vandalised the area where people had gathered to protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor who worked there.

The miscreants allegedly attacked protesters, including doctors, and also damaged police vehicles.

A huge crowd had assembled at the hospital just before midnight to mark their protest against the incident that has shaken the country - part of a nationwide agitation to "reclaim the night" and make it safer for women.

The mob vandalised the emergency ward of the hospital and also some police vehicles parked outside.

“A mob of miscreants entered the hospital. The agitating doctors were attacked and had to flee. They even tried to enter the building where the junior doctor was raped and murdered. Police stood as mute spectators,” alleged Subhendu Mullick, a senior resident doctor at NRS who was among the protesters, Indian Express reported.

The police had to fire tear gas and conduct a lathi-charge as the mob resorted to violence late in the night.

Visuals showed stones being hurled on the hospital campus, injuring several police officers.

An official stated that they attempted to prevent the mob, which comprised numerous unidentified individuals, from entering the hospital but were unsuccessful.

Outside the hospital, at least two police vehicles were damaged, and a motorcycle was set ablaze by the mob.

Doctors and students, who had been protesting outside the hospital for several days, were forced to vacate the area after the mob destroyed the temporary structures they had erected.

Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal blamed a "malicious campaign" on social media for the vandalism.

"What has happened here is because of the wrong media campaign, which has been malicious... What has the Kolkata Police not done? It has done everything in this case... We have tried to satisfy the family but the rumours are being floated... I am extremely angry. We have not done anything wrong," the Commissioner said.

Reacting to the mob violence, TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee said,"The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits. As a public representative, I just spoke with the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, 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 affiliations".

"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 said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, BJP has alleged that the mayhem was "orchestrated" to destroy potential evidence.

"In an unprecedented show of solidarity and to demand justice for the young doctor, who was raped and murdered inside RG Kar Hospital, lakhs of people, mostly women, marched peacefully to ‘Reclaim the Night’ across Kolkata and other places in West Bengal. But as expected, protest at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was attacked. Mamata Banerjee’s hired lumpens barged into the premises, and orchestrated mayhem," BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said.

"The goons were transported in trucks, and were specifically tasked to destroy potential evidence and intimidate, both protesting doctors and the common people, who had taken to the streets against the TMC Govt, headed by Mamata Banerjee. No other protest venue was attacked," he added.

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