Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder: RG Kar Hospital Nurses Protest After Goons Vandalise Premises

Hours after unknown miscreants ransacked a section of the medical facility where a female doctor was discovered dead last week, nurses protested vandalism at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Thursday.

File Photo/ ANI

Nurses at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata protested on Thursday morning following vandalism by unidentified individuals. This incident occurred hours after parts of the hospital were ransacked, where a female doctor was found deceased last week, news agency PTI reported. The vandalism coincided with midnight demonstrations across the state by women protesting the alleged sexual assault and murder of the doctor in the hospital's seminar hall. Hospital nurses demanded enhanced security and condemned the vandalism.

"Such hooliganism within a hospital's walls is intolerable," PTI quoted one of the nurses in protest as saying. Police reported that around 40 individuals, disguised as protesters, invaded the hospital, damaged property, and threw stones at officers, leading to the deployment of tear gas to disperse them.

Armed with sticks, bricks, and rods, the vandals targeted the Emergency ward, its nursing station, the medicine store, and a portion of the Outpatient Department (OPD) in the hospital's northern section. Vandals also destroyed several CCTV cameras in the vicinity and a stage where junior doctors had been protesting since the evening of August 9, following the doctor's death.

During the chaos, a police vehicle was flipped, several motorcycles were damaged, and some officers sustained injuries. Hospital staff began repairs on the Emergency ward, where essential medical equipment and furniture had been wrecked.

"The intruders assaulted the protesting doctors, aiming to demoralize us into abandoning our protest. However, these events have only solidified our determination to continue our fight," a doctor among the protesters declared. He claimed the vandalism occurred despite the presence of police.

The hospital's police outpost was also pillaged. After visiting the scene, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said, "We are looking into the matter." He also alleged that a "malicious media campaign" aggravated the situation.

"What haven't the police done to solve this case? However, a malicious media campaign has been ongoing," he said. A senior police officer stated this morning that additional personnel have been deployed outside the hospital.

On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and brutally murdered on duty at the hospital. The following day, a civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the incident.

The Calcutta High Court ordered that the investigation into the crime be immediately transferred to the CBI from the Kolkata Police.