Senior CISF officials who are charged with the security of airports and Parliament dropped into the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata this morning to gather information on the prevailing security situation. This comes in the wake of an embarrassing event of spewing paint believed to be occasioned by the heinous act of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor.
A senior CISF officer, K. Pratap Singh, said to the reporters, we are here for our assignment; let us do our work; we will brief you once the operation is over. This visit is coming after the Apex court questioned the preparedness of Kolkata Police in dealing with the mob that ransacked the hospital on August 15 during a ‘reclaim the night’ protest seeking justice for the victim.
The Supreme Court emphasized the lack of local government action in the country and the consequent emigration of numerous healthcare workers who believed themselves unsafe. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that central forces would be deployed for guarding the buildings in question and the West Bengal government did not raise any objection in this regard.
There are more demonstrations at the hospital demanding justice; the ex-principal, Sandip Ghosh, has more to answer to the CBI regarding the mishandling of the case. Five of these sessions have amounted to more than 64 hours of interrogation.
Since the commotion, three policemen, among them two assistant commissioners, have been dismissed due to criticism of their conduct during the attack by the mob. Most of the doctors polled are still afraid, as one quintessential admission displayed, ‘This could have been any of us’.
