A bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra doubted the police’s ability to protect the resident doctors, 90% of whom have left for their homes out of insecurity, and ordered deployment of CISF to guard the hospital and its hostels.”The protest by doctors (on August 15)… was part of the wider ‘Reclaim the Night‘ agitation. Police couldn’t have been unaware of the fact that when there are protests across the country, another segment would try to disrupt the protests. Women doctors were assaulted (at RG Kar hospital). Police ran away from the scene. Thereafter the women doctors leading the protests were called out by name and threatened with the same fate that had befallen the rape-murder victim,” the CJI said.
Criticising police action against the agitators, SC said, “Let not the power of the state be unleashed on peaceful protesters. Let’s deal with them with sensitivity. This is a moment for national catharsis.”
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh appearing for a doctor association “Protect the Warriors” informed the bench that of the 700-odd doctors and resident doctors working at R G Kar medical college and hospital at Kolkata, only 30-40 female doctors and 60-70 male doctors have stayed on the campus after the mob attack.
“On August 14 night when the mob attacked the hospital, hoodlum entered the hostels and threatened the female doctors with the kind of threat that is given every time to protesting women,” she said.
‘What were they doing?’ SC raps cops on RG Kar attack
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh appearing for a doctor association “Protect the Warriors” informed the bench that of the 700-odd doctors and resident doctors working at R G Kar medical college and hospital at Kolkata, only 30-40 female doctors and 60-70 male doctors have stayed on the campus after the mob attack.
“On August 14 night when the mob attacked the hospital, hoodlum entered the hostels and threatened the female doctors with the kind of threat that is given every time to protesting women. They were threatened with very harsh consequences. Most of the women doctors have been called back by their families as they felt insecure. When the mob entered the hospital, the police ran away and hid in the changing rooms of nurses,” she said.
The CJI-led bench said, “This is very serious. What was the police doing?” For West Bengal, senior advocate Kapil Sibal agreed that it was a serious matter and informed that police have registered FIRs and taken 37 accused into custody. The court asked the Kolkata police to submit status report of its investigations into the August 14-15 night vandalism by August 22.
CJI was not satisfied with Sibal’s assurance that action will be taken against all the accused. “The question is what were the police doing?” Sibal said, “There were 150 policemen deployed outside the hospital. A mob of 7,000 people came. By the time we got additional police force, this vandalism took place. This is what happened. I will show you the video.”
Justice Pardiwala said, “We just made a fervent appeal to the doctors to join duty. Even if we ask the state to give police protection, is this police force going to protect them? At the R G Kar medical hospital, obviously the female doctors left because of insecurity. If these doctors are to resume duty and they are to be safeguarded, who is going to provide security for them?” SG suggested the security to be handed over to central forces like CISF and CRPF.
SC in its order said, “To create safe condition for the doctors to return to duty, not only to pursue their own education but to administer medical care to patients, the court has been assured by the SG that CISF/CRPF shall be deployed in sufficient numbers to guard the facilities of RG Kar medical hospital including the hostels where they stay. With deployment of central forces, we hope and trust the resident doctors will be back to resume their duties.”
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