Absolute failure of state machinery: Calcutta HC raps Bengal govt over RG Kar Hospital vandalism
Kolkata/IBNS: The Calcutta High Court on Friday slammed the West Bengal government for its "absolute failure of state machinery" in tackling the vandalism of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital by miscreants on Wednesday late night, media reports said.
The High Court has termed the vandalism as "pre-planned" and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit an interim report on it.
In reply to the court's questions, the state said a mob of about 7,000 people were there during the vandalisation.
The number suddenly increased, they broke the barricades and ransacked the hospital but the place of occurrence of the crime was protected, said the state counsel.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed the supporters of DYFI (the youth wing of CPI-M) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conspired to unleash the vandalism. She cited the presence of a white-red flag and a tricolour to back her claims.
Speaking to reporters after visiting Raj Bhavan, Banerjee said, "As far as I have received information, I am not blaming students but some outsider political people- DYFI and BJP- who want to create anarchy in Bengal."
"The ones who vandalised are outsiders. They are not related to the students' protests."
Some miscreants suddenly entered the Emergency building and resorted to violence at a time thousands of women and men took the streets across West Bengal and outside demanding justice for the RG Kar case.
The agitating doctors had to flee owing to the sudden clashes. Media personnel were attacked.
The miscreants vandalised the stage where the protest was taking place. They even overturned the police vehicles.
Some police personnel also received injuries. The police had to resort to using tear gas to disperse off the crowd.
Nineteen people have been arrested by police so far in connection with the vandalism.
The situation turned grim amid the massive protest organised called 'Relcaim The Night' to seek justice over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee lady doctor at Kolkata's state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and its alleged cover-up that triggered a tsunami of anger against the authorities.
Women and men across West Bengal took to the streets on the eve of Independence Day.
As per the directive of the High Court, the CBI is already probing into the rape-murder case under the monitoring of the judiciary.