'We Will Close Down RG Kar Hospital': Calcutta High Court On Vandalism During Protest

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has condemned the mob attack at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the midnight protest and the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court has called it an ‘absolute failure of state machinery’.

The Calcutta High Court has questioned the ‘demolition and renovation’ at the ‘crime scene’ and has said that if required, the court may shut down the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

‘Absolute Failure of State Machinery’

The Calcutta High Court took up matters on vandalism at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital premises which took place on the night of August 14.

The conversation between the court and state was…

CJ: This is an absolute failure of state machinery,

State: There was a police force present.

CJ: They couldn’t protect their own men? Sorry state of affairs. How will these doctors work fearlessly?

Calcutta High Court Questions Govt For ‘Renovation’ at Crime Scene

CJ: You are taking measures after the incident. What were the preventive measures?

Sr Adv Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya: At 3pm the CBI investigation was directed. At 6pm they were demolishing the place of occurrence.

Sr Adv: Then they vandalised the hospital and the police. The police hid behind the demonstrators.

These hooligans went to look for the third floor. Third floor means fourth storey in Bengali, which was the place of occurrence.

They misunderstood and went to the second floor instead, thereby saving the crime scene.

Sr Adv: Was it not pre-planned?

Counsel: State machinery failed. The crime scene was RG Kar Hospital, they couldn’t protect it.

State: The demolition work was not near the place of occurrence.

Court: What was the urgency?

State: That had nothing to do with what happened.

Court: You go to any district court, no ladies washrooms. PWD does nothing! What was the need here?

‘We Will Close Down RG Kar Hospital’

Fearing the possibility of a repetition of what happened on the night of August 14, the Calcutta High Court said that they will shift everyone and close down the RG Kar Hospital.

The Court said, “We will close down the hospital. We will shift everyone. Close the hospital. How many patients are there?”

CJ: The issue is that if this thing which happened on 14th, what will happen if it is repeated? If police got injured and couldn’t stop the mob, the law and order situation had failed?

State: This kind of demonstration happened all over Calcutta. Only here the violence happened.

Counsel: We have videos to show these people were given access by police. They came in lorries. These people came to destroy the place of occurrence.

Counsel: There is no institutional accountability in offences like this. There is no compliance with POSH mechanisms.

CJ: This is long term plan. How to prevent this in the near future? It has gone beyond the control of state police.