Protests continue across the country against the rape-murder of a doctor.
Kolkata:
West Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee this evening led a rally demanding death penalty for the guilty in the rape and murder of a woman doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
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At the rally, Ms Banerjee was seen flanked by her women MPs, who raised “we want death penalty” slogans. “I salute the protest by the public. They did the right thing,” the chief minister said, blaming the BJP and CPM for the hospital vandalism. She had earlier given a Sunday ultimatum to the CBI to complete the probe and hang the culprits.
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The Calcutta High Court, earlier in the day, demanded photographic proof of the safe condition of a seminar room at the hospital, in which the doctor’s body was found. There were claims the hall was vandalized on Wednesday night, which the police have denied.
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Addressing a press conference today, Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goel admitted that during the midnight protest on Wednesday, they did not expect violence outside RG Kar hospital and were caught the off-guard when an official was injured.
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BJP women workers faced off with the police this morning during a protest outside the RG Kar hospital. Visuals showed state BJP leaders like Rupa Ganguly being detained. The Bengal BJP women’s wing will also hold a candlelight vigil today from Hazra crossing to Ms Banerjee’s Kalighat residence in south Kolkata.
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CPM too had announced a statewide ‘Dhikkar Diwas’ demanding the resignation of the state Health Minister and Home Minister. Both portfolios are held by Ms Banerjee. They have also been demanding the arrest of former RG Kar hospital head Sandeep Ghosh. SUCI, another Leftist organisation, had called a 12-hour general strike.
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The Indian Medical Association has announced the withdrawal of out-patient services and elective surgeries on Saturday while protests continue at premier medical colleges across the country. A doctors’ body in Maharashtra has announced a protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan today.
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Ms Banerjee, speaking on the Wednesday night vandalism, has claimed fake videos made using AI (artificial intelligence) are being circulated on social media. She also claimed “outsiders” were part of the mob that vandalised the hospital.
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Her comments came a day after a mob went on a rampage at the hospital during a midnight vigil by women to “reclaim the night”, demanding justice and safety for women at workplaces. Thousands were on the streets all night to mark their protest, showed powerful visuals from across Bengal.
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During the Wednesday night vandalism, almost all CCTV cameras were broken and the mob also vandalised a portion of the seminar hall where the doctor was raped and murdered, news agency PTI quoted a senior health official as saying. The official said restoration work may take a couple of weeks.
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The police have arrested 25 people so far over the hospital vandalism, informed West Bengal Additional Commissioner of Police Murlidhar Sharma on Friday evening. “During interrogation, most of them said they came here on their own, but we are verifying if there is any conspiracy,” he said.
