'Absolute failure': Cal HC in RG Kar vandalism; colleagues involved, parents tell CBI

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday criticized the state machinery in West Bengal, describing the mob violence at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital as a significant failure. The court directed both the police and hospital authorities to file affidavits detailing the incident. Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, along with Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, expressed skepticism over the police's claim of being unaware of a mob of 7,000 people assembling at the hospital in the early hours of Thursday.

The court mandated that the police provide a complete account of the events leading to the vandalism and instructed the hospital administrator to submit a separate affidavit on the matter. Additionally, the court requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file an interim report on the progress of its investigation into the alleged rape and murder of the woman doctor on August 9, which had prompted a ceasework by junior doctors across government hospitals in the state.

In parallel, the CBI has been actively pursuing leads in the doctor’s case. The victim’s parents have alleged that several interns and physicians from RG Kar Medical College were involved in the crime, providing the CBI with names of suspects associated with their daughter. The agency has prioritized questioning these individuals, including one house staff and two post-graduate trainees who were on duty the night of the incident.

The CBI has already interrogated the officer-in-charge of the Tala Police Station and conducted a crime scene reconstruction with the arrested civic volunteer. The case continues to unfold amid heightened scrutiny and public outrage over the violence and the investigation’s handling.