'Planned Attack, Cop Action A Sham': Suvendu's Letter To Centre On RG Kar Violence During Midnight Protest

Adhikari said that though it was the duty of the police to protect the crime scene, they miserably failed in their duty. He also questioned the role of the Kolkata Police and the Commissioner.

File photo of Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari.

Source : PTI

Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, wrote to the Home Ministry on Thursday regarding the vandalism that took place at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and urged the government to deploy the paramilitary forces to prevent further destruction of evidence at the hospital.

The BJP leader, in a letter addressed to Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said that the barbarity of the incident in the Kolkata hospital has shaken the conscience of the people and the country. 

Adhikari was referring to the chaos that unfolded in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a group of outsiders forcibly entered the hospital premises and vandalised property and started pelting stones at the police personnel present there. 

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Sharing the copy of the letter at X, Suvendu Adhikari said the West Bengal government and the Kolkata Police have turned the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital into a stinky quagmire by allowing culprits to establish their fiefdom and then allowing TMC goons to stomp upon the whole premises to destroy evidence.

The WB Govt & @KolkataPolice have turned RG Kar Medical College and Hospital into a stinky quagmire by firstly allowing culprits to establish their fiefdom of crime and now allowing TMC goons to stomp upon the whole premises to destroy evidence (whatever was left of it) and scare… pic.twitter.com/5xQ5BljoGE

— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) August 15, 2024

In the letter, Suvendue said, "While the mob of unruly hooligans broke the barricades set up by the police and barged into the hospital compound, with the police personnel mentioned therein being mute spectors to such acts of violence. The police made no attempt to stop the rioters from entering the compound."

"The mob directly launched an attack at the "Emergency" section after vandalising anything and everything that came there way including a dharna march which was erected by the protesting students... The nursing staff present at the said "Emergency" section had to run helter skelter to save their lives, even as the police personnel stood as mute spectors which were telecasted live on various electronic media outlets," he stated.

Adhikari said that the rioters in a well-planned operation indulged in arson and destroyed equipment of the hospital including MRI machines, and other valuable medical equipment causing huge losses to the public exchequer.

He further alleged that the manner in which the rioting and vandalism took place indicates that it was a pre-planned attack and added that the miscreants were part of the riotous mob from Howrah and Kamarhati. 

Adhikari said that though it was the duty of the police authorities to protect the crime scene, they miserably failed in their duty. He also questioned the role of the Kolkata Police and the Commissioner.

"It was the duty of the police authorities to protect the crime scene and also provide protection to the people working and patients being treated at the said Medical College and Hospital. However, the police authorities miserably failed in their duty and due to their incompetence, rather than protecting innocent citizens, were locking themselves up in toilets, leaving the entire hospital exposed to the rioters," he said. 

"Furthermore, after the mob had completed their riotous run, for a sham show the police started firing tear gas, which further testifies the fact that the police authorities were hand in glove with the rioters... The role of Kolkata Police and its Commissioner is suspect," he added.

What Kolkata Police Commissioner Said?

Kolkata police Commissioner Vineet Goyal on Thursday defended the force by saying that the Police did everything they could, but they can’t shoot the people.

“We did everything we could but we can’t shoot the people. My DC is injured," the Kolkata police Commissioner said.

Goyal also blamed the media for running a “malicious media campaign” for inciting the mob.

“What happened here is because of the wrong media campaign, which has been a malicious media campaign … as far as Kolkata police are concerned. What has the Kolkata police not done? It has done everything in this case. In 40 minutes 18 rooms were vandalised. The crime scene, however, remains intact. CCTV cameras were broken,” Goyal said.

The police said that the miscreants pelted them with stones. At this, the police tried to chase them away but were met with more stones. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) and the Maniktala Police Station OC were among the 15 injured policemen.