New Delhi, 15 Aug

The IMA on Friday condemned the vandalism at the state-run medical college in Kolkata where doctors have been protesting the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic, and called for an emergency meeting with its state branches to decide on the future course of action.

Unidentified miscreants vandalised a portion of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital amid midnight protests by women in various parts of West Bengal against the alleged rape and murder of the doctor in the seminar hall of the hospital.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the authorities have once again failed to maintain law and order when an all-important CBI investigation into the trainee woman doctor's alleged rape and murder is underway.

In a statement, the association said the RG Kar Medical College, which is at the centre of national attention for the past week due to the rape and murder of the chest medicine PG student, has been vandalised by hooligans.

"The authorities, who by their negligence had allowed such a heinous crime to happen, have once again failed to maintain law and order when the all-important CBI investigation is going on. Such vandalism with impunity points to anarchy and the breaking down of law and order. IMA condemns this mindless violence and is apprehensive of loss of crucial evidence," it said.

According to the police, nearly 40 people, masquerading as protestors, entered the hospital premises, vandalized property and pelted police personnel with stones, prompting the force to lob tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The miscreants carrying sticks, bricks and rods, vandalised the Emergency ward, its nursing station and medicine store, besides a section of the Out Patients Department (OPD) at the hospital in north Kolkata, police said.

Several CCTV cameras in and around the area were destroyed by the vandals who also ransacked a stage where the junior doctors have been demonstrating since August 9 evening following the death of the medic.

A police vehicle was overturned and several two-wheelers parked there were also damaged in the incident, and some police officers suffered injuries. A doctor attending the protest on the medical college's premises, said, "Goons entered the campus and beat up the agitating doctors. This was an attempt to break our morale so that we back out from the protest. But such incidents have only strengthened our resolve to fight till the end."

A postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at the hospital on 9 August. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. The Calcutta High Court ordered the immediate transfer of the investigation into the crime to the CBI from the Kolkata Police on 13 August.