As mob violence erupted outside the RG Kar Medical College, protesting doctors recounted the harrowing events that unfolded immediately after the 'Reclaim the Night' protests began.
Hasan Mushtaq, a medical student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, explained what transpired on Wednesday night at the hospital. He said, "We were to leave at 11 PM for a protest march (from the protesting site). But, there was a group of people outside the campus, they were raising the slogan - 'We want justice', but they weren't moving. The mob turned angry and they were trying to enter the campus. Suddenly, they started coming and vandalising. We have already asked our female team to leave and as they leave the mob broke the barricade and entered and we have to escape to save our lives. Even though we are doing everything peacefully, they came from outside and have done this..."
One of the doctors of the King George Medical College in Kolkata posted a video on X, which showed how the mob had reached the college in trucks and even trespassed the college's boundaries while climbing walls to enter the lady's hostel.
Protests commenced nationwide around 11:55 PM, fueled by a social media campaign that mobilised thousands of women from diverse backgrounds, all demanding justice for the victim. While the initial demonstrations maintained a peaceful tone, tensions escalated outside the RG Kar hospital as the mob forced its way past barricades, resulting in shattered furniture and public property.
Visual footage revealed scenes of havoc, with mob members vandalising the emergency ward of the medical facility and damaging police vehicles stationed nearby. Protesters, including doctors and students who had maintained a vigil outside the hospital for several days, were compelled to withdraw as the mob destroyed temporary structures they had erected for the demonstration.
As the chaos unfolded, the police faced overwhelming numbers and resorted to lathi charges and tear gas to restore order. Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal attributed the violence to a “malicious campaign” initiated on social media, asserting that the police had acted appropriately throughout the investigation.