RG Kar Hospital nurses protest after goons vandalise premises

Kolkata: Nurses protested vandalism at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Thursday morning, hours after unidentified miscreants ransacked a part of the medical establishment where a woman doctor was found dead last week.

The vandalism took place amid midnight protests by women in various parts of the state against the alleged rape and murder of the doctor in the seminar hall of the hospital.

Nurses at the hospital protested the vandalism and demanded proper security on the premises.

"Such hooliganism inside a hospital is unacceptable," one of the protesting nurses said.

According to the police, nearly 40 people, masquerading as protestors, entered the hospital premises, vandalized property, and pelted the police personnel present with stones, prompting the force to burst tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The miscreants carrying sticks, bricks and rods, vandalised the Emergency ward, its nursing station and medicine store, besides a section of the Outpatients Department (OPD) at the hospital in north Kolkata, police said. Several CCTV cameras in and around the area were destroyed by the vandals who also ransacked a stage where the junior doctors have been demonstrating since August 9 evening following the death of the physician.

A police vehicle was overturned, and several two-wheelers parked there were also damaged in the incident, and some police officers suffered injuries.

The hospital staff started cleaning the damaged Emergency ward where vital medical equipment and furniture were destroyed.

"The goons entered the campus and beat up agitating doctors. This was an attempt to break our morale so that we back out from the protest. But such incidents have only strengthened our resolve to fight till the end," said one of the protesting doctors.

He alleged that the vandalism took place even as police personnel were present.

The police outpost in the hospital was also ransacked.

After visiting the area following the incident, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal said, "We are looking into the matter." He also claimed that a "malicious media campaign" aggravated the situation.

"What the police have not done to crack this case? But there has been a malicious media campaign that has been going on," he said.

A senior police officer said in the morning that they have deployed additional personnel outside the hospital. A postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and brutally murdered while on duty at the hospital on August 9.

A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime the next day.

The Calcutta High Court ordered immediate transfer of the investigation into the crime to the CBI from the Kolkata Police on August 13.