As people, including doctors, gathered to protest against the brutal killing of the 31-year-old woman doctor at R G Kar Medical College last Friday, they were attacked by the mob which also damaged police vehicles. The hospital’s infrastructure, including the emergency department, critical care units, and police outposts were also damaged in the attack.
Vineet Goyal, Commissioner, Kolkata Police, said, “We did everything we could but we can’t shoot the people. My DC is injured”.
Goyal also pointed fingers at the media, blaming 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,” said Goyal.
“We have tried to satisfy the family but the rumours are being floated that some Mahapatra is connected with some political Mahapatra. He is an intern whose parents come from a small place. His father is a primary school teacher and doesn’t have any kind of background. People are spreading these rumours and some of them are his friends, are doctors,” he told reporters.
“I am extremely angry… We have not done anything wrong… Because of this malicious media campaign, people have lost trust in Kolkata police. We never said there is only one person. We have said that we are waiting for scientific evidence,” added Goyal.
After the violence, the Kolkata police released photographs of several suspects late on Wednesday night, urging the public to help identify individuals. By Thursday morning, more than 50 images related to the violence were circulating on social media.
Reacting to the Kolkata police commissioner’s accusations, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in a long post on X targeted the force, saying “policing under Political Subjugation and have made the Police Force servitude to your Political bosses”. “No Mr. @CPKolkata Vineet Goyal, you and your Police Force are not the target of any “malicious media campaign”. You have drawn the ire of the People and criticism of the Media because of your own deeds,” Adhikari wrote on X.
The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader enumerated what he said were “attempts to botch up the investigation”.
“Let me collate a list which will act as a mirror to you. Why did the local Police Station (Tala P.S.) help the conspirators register a case of Unnatural Death in the first place? Why didn’t the Kolkata Police initially dispel the rumours and the malicious campaign to label the heinous crime as suicide? Why didn’t you reveal to the public that the gruesome details of the crime scene indicate that it’s a case of brutal Rape & Murder? Didn’t your silence promote the suicide theory? Would you dare to label Hon’ble Calcutta High Court’s observation, made during handing over the investigation to the CBI; – “where investigation by the State Police lacks credibility and it is necessary for having a fair, honest and complete investigation and particularly, when it is imperative to retain public confidence in the impartial working of the State Agencies”; as a malicious campaign?” he said.
“Did you or anybody else in your force ever mentioned that it is a matter of gang rape? No. Why? Because the ‘gang’ is being protected. Hon’ble Calcutta High Court also cited “No significant progress in investigation by Police” as a reason to hand over the investigation to the CBI. The Police didn’t make any significant progress as they never intended to make any progress as it would have opened a can of worms which could have,” wrote Adhikari.
“The Police never tried to placate or comfort the grieving family, they did their best to confuse them, create a ring around them to prevent them from conversing with the media and influence the family to cremate their daughter as early as possible.
He also attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bengal Government. “The events of last night where an unruly mob was allowed to carry out unabated vandalism at RG Kar was completely facilitated by the Police. The conspiracy was hatched by the Police, TMC and State Govt. It was a brazen attempt to wipe out or tamper any evidence which the Police could not contaminate in the first few days.”
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