RG Kar Hospital may take weeks to restore earlier look after vandalism: Official

Kolkata: Rooms and spaces housing 18 departments have been vandalised by a mob in state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and it may take weeks for restoration, a senior official of the health department said on Thursday.

Massive vandalism was witnessed in the emergency, staffers' room, changing room for nurses and medicine store in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, he said, adding almost all the CCTV cameras were also broken.

A portion of the seminar hall, where a woman doctor was allegedly raped and murdered, was also vandalised and doors were damaged, he said.

A group of around 40 people entered the hospital and vandalised the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store, while also damaging CCTV cameras and ransacking a stage where junior doctors had been demonstrating since August 9 protesting the alleged rape and murder of the woman postgraduate trainee there and demanding security at their workplace.

"Massive destruction was carried out by these people. What were they looking for? The degree of devastation is yet to be evaluated," the official told PTI.

"Refrigerators with medicines worth several lakhs of rupees stored inside them were also damaged. Tables, chairs, computers, X-ray machines and other devices were also entirely damaged," he added.

Asked how many days would they require for restoration, the official said that it might take a couple of weeks.

The West Bengal Doctors' Forum (WBDF) strongly condemned the unprecedented violence and vandalism that took place at the hospital past midnight on Independence Day.

The Joint Platform of Doctors also condemned the incident and strongly flagged its demands to initiate a probe into the matter by a high-powered administrative inquiry panel and to submit a report, to be available in the public domain within 48 hours.

"Book all criminals involved in this horrific vandalism in RGKMC and none to be spared by the law enforcing authority under appropriate clauses as available in BNS and also apply Medicare Prevention Act, WB 2009 and ensure strictest possible punishment," one of the joint convenors, Dr Punyabrata Gun of the Joint Platform of Doctors said.