OPINION | Kolkata Hospital vandalism: It’s not a video game, a chilling reality
The Indian Medical Association has given a one-day strike call in all government and private hospitals on Saturday demanding security for doctors and action against the perpetrators of the rape-crime.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday lambasted the state government saying “there was absolute failure of state machinery” in preventing the midnight mob attack on RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam remarked, “There was a police force present. They couldn’t protect their own men? Sorry state of affairs. How will these doctors work fearlessly?... You pass section 144 CrPC orders for any reason. When so much commotion is going on, you should have cordoned the area. Seven thousand people can’t come walking… It is hard to believe that police intelligence did not have information about the gathering of 7,000 people at the hospital”. The division bench of Chief Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya directed the police and hospital management to file two separate affidavits on the incident and posted a hearing in this case on August 21.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association has given a one-day strike call in all government and private hospitals on Saturday demanding security for doctors and action against the perpetrators of the rape-crime. On a day when the nation was celebrating Independence Day, visuals came about how lumpen elements armed with sticks and rods entered the hospital, smashed computers, and critical machines and destroyed medicine stocks in the emergency wards. They threatened to rape nurses and lady doctors present and tried to enter the Seminar Hall, where the PG trainee doctor was raped and murdered on August 9. The mayhem continued for nearly two hours and police personnel vanished from the spot. The faces of the attackers can be clearly seen in videos, and yet police are unable to identify who the attackers were. Till now, 24 persons have been arrested on charges of vandalism. Till now, it is unclear why the attackers carried out mayhem inside the hospital and what was their motive.
Let me first explain the context. Agitating doctors, nurses and people from civil society wanted to take out a midnight protest march called “Reclaim the Night” from RG Kar Hospital to Shyam Bazar demanding the safety of women. By that time, several thousand people gathered at the spot, most of them chanted slogans and tried to stop the protesters from marching. Meanwhile, several hundred lumpen elements forcibly entered the hospital and carried out mayhem. They vandalized the dais on which the doctors were staging the dharna. The attackers then entered the emergency wards for males and females and destroyed MRI machines, several other costly medical equipment, computers, tables and chairs. They even destroyed the medical files of patients and attacked hospital staff, who were in a state of shock. There were nearly a dozen policemen on the spot but they did not try to stop these attackers. The lumpen elements then went to the first floor of the critical care unit and destroyed CCTV cameras and other equipment. Doctors and nurses had to flee and hide in the face of these attackers. It seems that the attackers wanted to reach the fourth floor, where the lady doctor was raped and murdered in the Seminar Hall, but they were prevented from moving further. The entire mayhem appeared to be well orchestrated because the lumpen elements knew details about the location of each floor. Their plan was to intimidate the protesting doctors, and then destroy all evidence about the rape-murder. After nearly 90 minutes of horror, the attackers vanished from the hospital. It was only then that the police sprung into action, fired teargas shells and resorted to lathi charge. Doctors and nurses later narrated the horrible ordeal they had to go through. They disclosed how lumpen elements attacked the nurses' hostel and misbehaved with several nurses. While leaving, they issued threats saying they would return soon and rape them.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that “some outsider political elements are trying to create violence in Bengal, and both Ram (BJP) and Vaam (Left) have changed hands to create unrest…You look at the flags the protesters were carrying and you will know who created mayhem…Do not trust fake videos being circulated on social media.” By evening, Kolkata Police issued several photographs of rioters from the videos available and appealed to people to identify them. At present, my thoughts are with the parents of the PG trainee doctor who died a brutal death. Her death has become a political issue. Doctors are demanding justice for her, and yet, efforts are being made to destroy evidence. I am astonished at how some people dared to enter the hospital to destroy evidence in a case, that is being watched by the entire nation. It is shocking that while people expected police to gather evidence to nail the perpetrators, this mayhem occurred inside the hospital. This raises fresh questions. First, the brutal crime was perpetrated, and then the scene of the crime was tampered with. This has brought a bad name to Kolkata Police. Was it because there was any attempt to protect a big personality? This is still shrouded in mystery. The rape of the doctor was followed by brutal murder. Several people were involved in the ghastly crime. It is a fact that cannot be doubted. There are several questions left to be answered. One, the post-mortem report says, the brutal crime was committed between 3 am and 5 am, but why were the parents informed late? Why was the family told that the doctor had committed suicide? Why were the distraught parents not allowed to see the victim’s body? Was there a cover-up attempt from the very beginning?
It is now an open fact that the college principal was given a safe passage through a transfer, instead of being interrogated. The high court itself observed that evidence in this case could have been tampered if Kolkata Police was allowed to continue with the probe. And when the High Court transferred the case to CBI, who allowed a huge crowd of lumpen elements to enter the hospital? Why was the crime scene tampered with? Why did policemen flee in the face of attackers? I am repeating my question: Was there a conspiracy to shield a top personality? There is no point in alleging that such and such videos are fake, using Artificial Intelligence. Such allegations complicate matters more. The vandalism that took place in the hospital on August 14 night was not a video game. It was a chilling reality. And when the truth will come out, more secrets will tumble out. Truth must come out.
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