The peaceful midnight protest against the brutal murder and rape of a trainee doctor at a government-run hospital in Kolkata turned violent when unknown miscreants disrupted the demonstration. The protest, part of the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, had gathered momentum on social media and began at 11:55 pm in various locations across Kolkata and other towns. However, chaos erupted when nearly 40 individuals, posing as protestors, stormed the RG Kar Medical College. They vandalized vehicles, public property, and hospital facilities, including the Emergency ward, nursing station, medical store, and part of the Out Patients Department (OPD). Security personnel were forced to disperse the mob using tear gas, as the attackers, armed with sticks, bricks, and rods, clashed with the police and damaged CCTV cameras in the area.
The violent crowd overturned a police vehicle, damaged several two-wheelers, and injured some officers during the chaos. Protestors reported that the miscreants assaulted doctors who had been demonstrating since August 9, in what was seen as an attempt to intimidate them into halting their protest. Despite this, the doctors vowed to continue their fight. One final-year MBBS student, Anupam Roy, expressed shock over the lack of police presence at the scene when the mob arrived, despite previously strong security during protests.
** A midnight protest against the murder and rape of a trainee doctor in Kolkata turned violent when a mob stormed RG Kar Medical College, leading to widespread destruction of property and clashes with police.
