RG Kar protest disrupts KMC monthly meeting

Kolkata: The protest surrounding the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital momentarily disrupted the monthy meeting proceedings of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Friday with the Opposition BJP staging a walkout while a minute silence was observed to condole the

death of the victim.

During the House meeting on Friday, BJP, Left and Congress leaders walked in with the ‘Justice for RG Kar’ posters when obituaries were being read out. The presiding chairperson asked them to keep away the posters for the time being. However, no sooner than a minute of silence was observed for the persons in the obituary list, BJP councillors Sajal Ghosh and Bijoy Ojha demanded that silence also be observed for the victim. After a brief disagreement with the presiding chairperson, silence was observed followed by the playing of the state song. When the proceedings began, BJP councillors moved to the well of the House, raising slogans “Justice for RG Kar’.

With the presiding chairperson warning them against doing so, reasoning that in KMC only civic services related issues can be discussed and that the case is now with the Supreme Court, the BJP councillors staged a walkout. Later, they told the media that they had forwarded a proposal to discuss the issue in the House but the TMC-led KMC refused to entertain it. They alleged that obituaries are read for sportspersons and eminent personalities but it wasn’t read for the victim doctor and silence was observed only after they demanded for it. Sajal Ghosh said: “This is shameful. It is a blot in the history of KMC. The civic body has anyway failed to render services to citizens.”

Later, Mayor Firhad Hakim told the media: “Who are they seeking justice from? The CBI is dealing with the case. These are the people of the same party (BJP) who welcomed the rapists of Bilkis Bano with garlands. This is just theatrics.”