Kolkata: RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in the eye of a storm since August 9 when a junior doctor was sexually assaulted and murdered in the seminar hall, hijacked spotlight once again in the early hours of Thursday when a hundreds-strong mob laid siege to the state-run hospital.
As lakhs of women – as well as men — across Kolkata and West Bengal in an apolotical ‘Reclaim the night’ mass protest, demanding justice for the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee, the mob ran amok at the hospital, vandalising property, terrorising staff and police personnel.
So much so that cops posted at the hospital since the gruesome murder last week had to seek refuge from nurses on duty.
According to one of the nurses caught in the midst of the mayhem at around 1 am, police personnel were outnumbered by the rampaging mob.
“The police sought safety from us. Two officers, who were on duty, said, ‘please hide us in your ward’,” the nurse recounted.
She said the rampaging mob targeted the seminar room where the crime took place.
“They wanted to break into the seminar room… that was their main target was that. They tried to enter the third floor, but couldn’t. They destroyed the second floor… they may have thought that this is the floor where the crime occurred,” the nurse added.
Another nurse described how the mob left the hospital staff traumatised.
“We were so afraid and went downstairs … We saw our junior and senior nurses crying in fear due to the attack,” she said.
“Another case of abuse could have happened yesterday. We all left the premises crying. This was a horrific experience for us,” the nurse added.
“We feel we can be killed at any time,” said another nurse.
The hospital staff protested on Thursday morning, saying that such hooliganism inside a hospital is unacceptable and demanding heightened security for them.
Police arrested nine persons in connection with the midnight vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Governor Visits Hospital, Assures Justice
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited the hospital on Thursday and spoke to agitating doctors.
“I am with you and we will work together to solve this. I assure you justice. My ears and eyes are open,” Bose told the students.
#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visits the Emergency Department in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital which was vandalised by a mob during a protest by doctors and students over the rape & murder of a woman doctor pic.twitter.com/MM7pLM3quq
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2024
“The incident which took place here is shocking, shattering and deplorable. It is a shame for Bengal and India and humanity.. This is the greatest degeneration we have seen around us. The custodians of law have themselves become conspirators. A section of the police is politicised and criminalised. This rot has to end… The government is responsible for this. The first responsibility lies with the government. We want security so that when you go to work at night you are safe…It is nothing but a bloodbath going on,” the Governor told newspersons.
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