Kolkata Police instructs all medical superintendents of state-run med colleges: ‘Give status of CCTVs additionally installed after Abhaya incident’
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Police has reportedly instructed all medical superintendents of state-run medical colleges to give the status of the CCTV cameras that are being additionally installed after the Abhaya incident. The decision was reportedly taken after Kolkata Police got information that some CCTV cameras were not functioning properly and there is a need to re-install fresh software. After the Abhaya incident, the state government has decided to beef up security and additional CCTV cameras have been installed in all state-run medical colleges under the new scheme ‘Rattirer Sathi’. Around Rs 4 crore were spent to install 195 CCTV cameras at all state-run medical colleges. The entire installation has been done by the Kolkata Police. Sources in the police said that they will review the letter sent by all state-run medical colleges and then visit each medical college to oversee the condition of all CCTVs.
It may be mentioned that the rape-murder incident on August 9, 2024, triggered statewide protests with junior doctors and the public taking to the streets demanding justice for the victim and a safe workplace for medical professionals. After 42 days of the incident, the junior doctors partially called off their cease work strike on September 21. A Bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also ordered the court-constituted National Task Force (NTF) to submit its interim report on the next date of hearing i.e. on October 14. The NTF was tasked with the responsibility to work out the modalities of safety measures which could be put in place for medical professionals. Taking on record the CBI’s new status report with respect to its probe into the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor, the Bench observed that substantial leads have been gathered by the Central agency so far. Sanjoy Roy, the civic volunteer and one of the accused in the case, has been given life imprisonment by the Court.
