Kolkata:

The West Bengal Health and Family Welfare Department has rescinded the transfer orders of 42 doctors amid the ongoing outrage and protests following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference, the Principal Secretary of the WB Health and Family Welfare Department, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, stated, “Considering the current situation, we need to maintain normal services across the board. Therefore, we have decided to cancel these transfer orders for now. Any further decisions regarding this matter will be made in a few days.”

He explained that the transfer process is part of the promotional exercise within the Medical Education Service, a lengthy procedure that began two months ago.

Mr Nigam further noted that the approval for these transfers had been granted well before the incident.

“In West Bengal, the promotional exercise of the Medical Education Service, including routine transfers, is a lengthy process. This process started two months prior to this incident, and the approvals were finalized several days before. However, due to the need for thorough checks, the publication of these orders may have been delayed,” he added.

Following the announcement, opposition leaders in the state criticized the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanding her resignation and alleging that the order was a deliberate attempt to target protesting doctors and instil fear.

Amit Malviya, the in-charge of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, took to the social media platform X, stating, “If the West Bengal Health Department doesn’t know what it is doing, then Health Minister Mamata Banerjee should resign. Withdrawing the transfer order of over 40 qualified senior doctors within 24 hours is a sinister ploy. The order was issued to target protesting doctors, and instill fear, and has now been withdrawn because it served its intended purpose. But Mamata Banerjee should know that her attempts to crush the protests using illegitimate means are further fueling public anger.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, also commented on X, saying, “The swift withdrawal of transfer orders for protesting doctors is a tactic to instil fear and stifle dissent. Such moves only increase public anger, especially with Kolkata Police threatening those seeking justice online. If she can’t manage the state, she should step down.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

A mob has vandalized a government hospital in Kolkata during a midnight protest against the recent rape and murder of a doctor. Crucial infrastructure at the emergency ward at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was destroyed, suggest local reports.

A student at the hospital said the “outsiders” were part of the mob and that they were safe now.

A huge crowd had assembled on the hospital campus to mark their protest – part of a nationwide agitation to “reclaim the night” and make it safer for women.

As the protest turned violent, the cops fired tear gas and resorted to lathi-charge the agitators to bring the situation under control. Riot control police have also been deployed.

Stone pelting was also reported from the hospital.

Barricades erected by the cops have been taken down by the protesters who are demanding justice for the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee. A bike was also set on fire outside the government-run hospital.

A huge crowd had assembled at the hospital just before midnight to mark their protest against the incident that has shaken the country.

Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal, who reached the hospital around 2 am, denied charges of midhandling of the case by cops. “We have not tried to save anyone, the media ran a malicious campaign,” Mr Goyal told reporters early Thursday night.

The doctor was found dead on August 9 morning. Her autopsy confirmed later she was raped and murdered while on duty, sparking nationwide protests and strikes by resident doctors.

A civic volunteer was arrested a day later by the cops in the case. The CBI has taken over the probe into the case after a High Court order.