Earlier in the day, two senior CISF officers — DIG K Pratap Singh and an SP-rank officer – reached RG Kar Hospital to discuss the security measures with the hospital’s authorities.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to the state chief secretary, outlining the need for increased security measures to manage the situation effectively.

In a letter to the DIGs of three different units, the MHA stated, “It is intimated that as per the direction of the headquarters, CISF personnel on internal security (IS) duty pattern are to be deployed immediately for the security of RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal. Accordingly, IG has approved the deployment of 150 personnel of various ranks along with one supervisory officer on IS duty pattern at RG Kar Medical College with immediate effect… All DIGs are requested to select young and physically fit personnel.”

The deployment of 150 CISF personnel at the hospital is aimed at supporting the local law enforcement in handling the surge in protests and ensuring a stable environment for the doctors there, a senior MHA official said.

On the night of August 14, a mob of men barged into the hospital premises, where junior doctors had been protesting against the death of their colleague, and went into a rampage. The mob vandalised several sections of the hospital, including the Emergency Room.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the rape-murder incident and the mob violence, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the CISF to take over the security of the hospital. The Supreme Court in its order said: “It’s a matter of very serious concern. The doctors… they were all working with her… doctors are on protest… a mob assembles at the hospital, the hospital is invaded and critical facilities are damaged… What were the police doing?”

“In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations which followed, the State Government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order. It was all the more necessary to do so since investigation of the crime, which took place in the precincts of the hospital, was underway. We are unable to comprehend how the State was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the premises of the hospital,” the bench said.

The Supreme Court also constituted a National Task Force (NTF) on Tuesday to “formulate effective recommendations to remedy the issues of concern pertaining to” the “safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals and other cognate matters”.

Kolkata Police has suspended three officers in connection with the vandalism incident. The suspended officers included two assistant police commissioners. So far, 37 people have been arrested, and nearly 1,000 have been identified as suspects by the police for the vandalism.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has decided to recruit retired police officers and retired Army, Navy and Air Force officials to supervise the entire security system of the state-run hospitals.

The West Bengal on Tuesday wrote to all Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs)  to make lists of such officers who have retired in the past two years, are “physically fit” and willing to work in their area.

The list of such willing officers should be sent to state police headquarters within August 24, the letter said.

The letter stated that the retired officials would be deployed for “supervision of the security arrangements at important Government hospitals i.e. Medical College & Hospitals, District Hospitals, and Super Speciality Hospitals”.

“Necessary remuneration as per the existing guidelines of the Finance Department shall be done by the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal. You are requested to collect details of Police Officers who have retired from the ranks of Inspectors/ Dy. SPs/ Additional SPs in the last two years, (who are) physically fit and also willing to work as security officers at the above-noted hospitals,” it read.

It further added that details of “Ex-Army/ Ex-Navy/ Ex-Air Force personnel” of  “Naib Subedar/ Subedar/ Captain/ Major or equivalent ranks from District Sainik Kalyan Board” who also fit the criteria should be included.

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