ABVP activists clash with police during Swasthya Bhavan protest march

Kolkata: A clash ensued between police and ABVP activists on Tuesday during a rally to Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake area to protest against the alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The ABVP activists demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is also the state’s Health and Home minister. The protestors tried to break through the police barricades set up at several roads leading to Swasthya Bhavan. The protestors said that Banerjee should step down from all three posts since it is the administration under her which failed to protect the doctor who fell prey to a gruesome crime. “We only seek the resignation of the Chief Minister. The incident which happened at the government hospital is unimaginable,” a member of ABVP said. Another protestor asked as to who Banerjee is protesting against since she is herself holding the portfolios of health and home departments.

“The Chief Minister is playing the victim card when she should instead bear responsibility for what has happened which has shaken the entire nation,” said the activist. The postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The healthcare services were severely affected at state-run hospitals across Bengal due to the ceasework agitation by junior doctors in protest against the incident.

A civic volunteer was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the crime. The case was later transferred to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.