On Friday, the Calcutta High Court described the mob violence at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital as a complete failure of state machinery in West Bengal. The court ordered the police and hospital authorities to submit affidavits detailing the incident.
Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, heading a division bench, expressed disbelief that police intelligence lacked information about the assembly of 7,000 people at the hospital in the early hours of Thursday, as reported by the state’s lawyer.
“This is an absolute failure of state machinery. There was a police force present (at the spot). They couldn’t protect their own men? Sorry state of affairs. How will these doctors work fearlessly?” the Chief Justice said while slamming the West Bengal government.
“You pass section 144 of the CrPC orders for any reason. When so much commotion is going on, you should have cordoned the area,” he added.
“7,000 people can’t come walking,” he said.
The court instructed the police and the hospital administrator to provide separate affidavits on the true state of affairs by the next hearing on August 21. The bench, including Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, requested the police to document the full sequence of events leading to the vandalism.
Additionally, the CBI’s investigating team was directed to submit an interim report on their progress in the case concerning the alleged rape and murder of the woman doctor on August 9, which triggered a cease work by junior doctors in state government hospitals.
The probe into the death of the trainee doctor was transferred from the Kolkata Police to the CBI on orders of the Calcutta High Court. A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the crime.
