R.G. Kar hostels deserted; mob violence has instilled fear in us, say MBBS students
Doctors say implementation of security measures go beyond R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. Some medical students considering vacating hostels “permanently” for personal safety
Police and other officials amid investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata, on August 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
On a day the Supreme Court ordered deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital here, where a doctor was raped and murdered on August 9, the college’s hostels bore a deserted look with woman students and doctors having left the premises after the midnight violence on August 15.
Although a section of students said the Supreme Court order brought hope of better security, the mob violence has left doctors and students traumatised who have fled citing personal safety.
The protesting junior doctors and students welcomed the court order on deploying CAPF. “But we have to address how the deployment will be implemented and what it would mean for practising doctors at the hospital and what security measures are being taken elsewhere,” a doctor said. He said security in hospitals extends beyond R.G. Kar.
In its order, the apex court said, “The lack of institutional safety norms at medical establishments against both violence and sexual violence against medical professionals is a matter of serious concern… Preserving safe conditions of work is central to realising equality of opportunity to every working professional.”
Watch: Kolkata rape and murder case: What the Supreme Court said
The Supreme Court constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol to ensure the safety and facilities of doctors.
The women’s hostels on the college campus witnessed a mass exit of boarders following the mob attack. According to women medicos, the undergraduate women’s hostel housed over 160 students, but there are hardly seven to eight people inside the building now.
The students and doctors have not recovered from the trauma of losing a colleague to rape and murder inside the campus. The mob violence further aggravated their fears. A woman intern at R.G. Kar said she is concerned about her safety as all her classmates and juniors have left the campus due to family pressure.
“Till August 14, our parents were worried, but they let us stay and fight for the cause. But after the mob attack, most parents have put their foot down and asked their children to leave the campus immediately” she told The Hindu. “My parents are also calling, but they know what I am fighting for. The situation is intimidating with the number of people reducing each day. But we have to keep fighting no matter what.”
On August 18, the Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 around the hospital’s premises for seven days to prevent unlawful assembly. So far, 37 people have been arrested in connection with the mob violence. But that has not inspired confidence.
A woman MBBS student at the college said most hostel boarders who hail from the suburbs of Kolkata are considering moving out of the hostel and seeking accommodation elsewhere for the remainder of their course.
“Almost all the boarders have gone home, only around seven to eight remain for now. But the junior batches are thinking of vacating their on-campus accommodation permanently,” she said, adding that the mob attack has instilled “permanent fear” among the boarders.
“I was in my hostel room when the violence broke out that night. The mob did not trespass into our hostel building but we witnessed what unfolded from our rooms,” a third-year BSc. Nursing student, one of the protesters, told The Hindu.
She said some of her friends who were caught in the violence had taken shelter in the adjacent hostel building that night. Other students said unidentified men threw stones at one of the hostels meant for MBBS students, triggering a mass exit of women boarders. “We were scared. We left the next morning because we wanted to be home at least for the Independence Day holiday and weekend,” the nursing student said. “But many of my fellow boarders have now come back and joined the agitation again.”
The situation at the men’s hostel is not normal either. An intern said, “Approximately 40-50% of the hostel is now empty. The mob had breached and entered our hostel, so people are scared. There is serious lack of security, everyone is living in constant fear.”
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