"The goons had two motives: one was to break up a peaceful, organised protest. The second was to tamper the evidence," said Aniket Mahato, a doctor who took part in the late-night protests at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital – which was vandalised by a mob on the intervening night of 14 and 15 August.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to The Quint, students at the college had been conducting a peaceful protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate medical trainee when the mob entered the campus and started vandalising property.
Visuals that emerged from the night showed the mob entering the campus while student protesters claimed that they were "trapped" inside the hospital and expressed fear for their lives.
Several doctors, while speaking to The Quint, described how the midnight ruckus unfolded.
'Vandalised Wards, Entered Ladies' Hostel'
Speaking to The Quint, Mahato confirmed that the attack occurred at roughly 11 PM during a women-led 'Reclaim the Night' protest march meant to move towards Kolkata's Shyambazar area (a few kilometers away from the hospital).
"Local goons from outside broke the barricades and entered the campus. They vandalised the protest stage, the emergency, ENT, trauma, and gynecology wards along with other parts of the campus," said Mahato, who is a member of the RG Kar Hospital RDA (Resident Doctors' Association).
"They went all around the campus, including inside the ladies' and men's hostels," Mahato said, adding that a few protesters had sustained minor injuries.
He also said that the police did not take any action against the mob.
"We called senior police officials to ask for help, but they didn't pick up our call. Junior officers told us that they are not accountable for our protection."Aniket Mahato
Another house staff doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, also claimed that the police did nothing to stop the mob from entering the campus.
"The police stood there as bystanders. The mob pushed through the barricades and the police never tried to stop them. They just verbally asked them to go away but didn’t attempt to physically prevent them from entering," he told The Quint, adding, "It was only later when the Rapid Action Force came that the vandals were driven away."
He further said that the mob was running amok and shouting slogans such as 'We want justice' just so that they could "disguise" themselves as protesters.
"They vandalised the podium on which the protest was taking place and set fire to the newborn care unit as well. They had mainly come to vandalise the crime scene, which is located inside the chest department."
The doctor added that despite the occurrences of the previous night, the protest would continue on Thursday, 15 August.
"Even though the podium has been destroyed, we will find a way to press our demands. They [the mob] have destroyed everything, so we can't continue emergency or OPD services."Housestaff doctor to The Quint
Two eyewitnesses told The Quint that the mob comprised of over 4,000 people. However, the actual number of people who entered the campus from outside is still disputed.
Meanwhile, initial news reports suggested that the crime scene and all evidence within it had been destroyed. However, speaking to the press, the Kolkata Police said that the crime scene was in fact locked up and was not disturbed.
"Crime of Scene is Seminar Room and it has not been touched. Don’t spread unverified news. We will initiate legal action for spreading rumours," the Kolkata Police said in a statement on X.
'We May Die Here'
The Quint also accessed several screenshots, in which students expressed fear for their lives and requested senior doctors and members of the hospital administration to help them.
"Please save us sir, we may die here," a message by one of the students read on a group chat.
Another student claims that he had hidden himself after finding out that the mob was allegedly looking for him.
"Mob RG Kar e dhuke poreche, amake khujche. Jodi safe thaki contact korbo pore (A mob has entered RG Kar and are looking for me. If I am safe I will contact you later)," the message reads in Bengali.
He also claims that several members of the mob were in an inebriated state.
Following the incident, several students appealed for help, claiming that they were still trapped inside the campus.
"The mob started beating people up – protestors, patients, bystanders, everyone. They even attacked the female doctors," one of the students is heard saying in a video. "We had to run to save ourselves. We had to disperse and find places to hide. We have not been able to contact each other."
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said that he spoke to Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Kumar Goyal and urged him to identify the people accountable for the vandalism and bring them to justice.
"The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits. As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata, urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliations," he said.
The MP also added that the demands of the protesting doctors were fair and justified. "This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritised."
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