CISF Personnel At RG Kar Hospital Facing Severe Difficulty: Home Ministry Tells Supreme Court

Home Ministry has informed the Supreme Court that the CISF is facing severe difficulties due to lack of accommodation and basic security infrastructure.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has filed an application in the Supreme Court stating that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital are facing severe difficulties due to lack of accomodation and basic security infrastructure. The Home Ministry has also urged the top court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the West Bengal government for non-compliance with the Supreme Court order.

The application states that the troops are presently staying at CISF Unit SMP, Kolkata despite the constraints being faced by the accommodating unit.

"The traveling time from SMP Kolkata to RG Kar Hospital is nearly 01-hour from one side and it is difficult to discharge duties effectively and to mobilize CISF troops to duly and promptly respond during contingencies," the application read.

The Supreme Court on August 20 had directed the Centre to deploy CISF at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, where a woman doctor was raped and murdered. The direction came after the Counsel appearing for Organisation of Doctors of West Bengal placed on record a complaint by a senior resident setting out details of the incidents.

The top court was told that while the Doctors were participating in the protest "Reclaiming the Night," women doctors at RG Kar Hospital were threatened that they will meet the same fate as the rape victim if they continued with the protest.

The court after going through the anonymous complaint expressed serious concern over the allegation that West Bengal police fled the ground when the mob attacked the peaceful protestors.

CJI DY Chandrachud while hearing the matter had expressed serious concern at the fact that the mob called the lady doctors by their names and threatened that they would meet the same fate as that of the deceased. CJI questioned why the Kolkata police ran away from the spot.

"This Police will protect the Doctors?" Justice Pardiwala asked the West Bengal government.

Taking cognisance of the vandalism at the hospital on midnight of August 14, where the protesting hospital staff were attacked, the apex court accepted the proposal by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that CISF should be deployed at the hospital.

Now, the Home Ministry has informed the apex court that the CISF is facing severe difficulties due to lack of accomodation and basic security infrastructure. The apex court will resume hearing the suo motu case in the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder this week.