RG Kar Vandalism: After Facing Flak, Police Share Photo Of Bleeding Woman Cop, BJP Says 'Illegal Deployment'

RG Kar Vandalism: West Bengal Police highlighted the plight of a Constable who was among the injured in the mob attack. BJP claimed that the woman was still a trainee and questioned her 'illegal deployment'

RG Kar Vandalism: The ongoing unrest in West Bengal following the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College took a new turn with the violence that erupted on the night of August 14. The violence at the hospital, which occurred amid widespread protests condemning the alleged rape and murder of the doctor on August 9, resulted in damage to the emergency ward, nursing station, medicine store, and parts of the outpatient department. Several people, including police officers, were injured in the chaos.

Facing criticism for being unable to handle the situation, the West Bengal Police highlighted the plight of Constable Shampa Pramanik of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, who was injured by bricks thrown during the protests in Baguiati.

(Trigger warning: This report contains distressing visuals and mentions of violence. Reader discretion is advised.)

"Wasn't the night Shampa's too? It was meant to be a night for women, when they reclaimed the streets demanding safety at the workplace," the police post read.

"Suddenly, unprovoked, several bricks came flying from the crowd toward the police, one of which hit Shampa in the face. The accompanying photo was taken in the minutes immediately after she was hit," the post added.

Leader of the Opposition, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, strongly condemned the attack on the female constable during the violence. In a post on X, Adhikari questioned the role of the police and the involvement of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the incident. He criticised the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police for failing to provide adequate security for women on the night, accusing them of being complicit with TMC "goons" in the "pre-planned vandalism."

"My questions to Home Minister Mamata Banerjee: Is the training of the injured lady complete? Because my sources say that she is still a trainee and can't be deployed to maintain law and order. If she is a trainee, who is responsible for her illegal deployment on the evening of 14th August? Has the TMC goon been identified who is responsible for such a heinous act?" Adhikari questioned in his post.

Kolkata Police reported that 30 individuals have been arrested in connection with the vandalism and violence at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. "Two more suspects have been identified by you from our social media posts. Thank you once again for your support," a post read.

Calcutta High Court Slams 'Absolute Failure Of State Machinery', CM Mamata Banerjee Accuses CPIM-BJP Of Vandalism

On Friday, the Calcutta High Court expressed its dismay at the state of affairs, describing vandalism as an "absolute failure of state machinery." The court questioned how nearly 7,000 people could gather at the hospital on the morning of Independence Day without police intelligence being aware. Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam remarked, "It's hard to believe that police intelligence did not have information about a mob of such magnitude assembling at the hospital."

On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a two-kilometre protest march in Kolkata, demanding justice for the doctor. She accused the opposition CPI(M) and BJP of orchestrating the vandalism and spreading fake news on social media to obscure the truth behind the incident.

The court emphasised the need for adequate protection for doctors working in hospitals, stating that a failure to ensure their safety would render them unable to perform their duties. The High Court's division bench stressed that the police's inability to protect their own personnel indicated a failure to maintain law and order.