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Kolkata Police Commissioner Removed: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has removed Vineet Goyal from his position as Kolkata Police Commissioner following widespread protests related to the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case.
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Demands from Junior Doctors: The removal was part of a five-point demand by junior doctors, seeking justice for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Other officials from the health and police departments were also transferred.
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Vineet Goyal’s Background: Goyal, a 1994-batch IPS officer and IIT alumnus, had held various senior positions within Kolkata Police and was appointed Police Commissioner in 2021. He has received several prestigious awards for his service.
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Controversies Surrounding Goyal: Junior doctors accused Goyal of mismanaging the protests at RG Kar Medical College on August 14, where vandalism occurred. His handling of the case led to growing dissatisfaction and political backlash.
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Public Criticism and Allegations: Goyal has faced public outrage, with allegations that he is closely aligned with the chief minister. He has defended his actions, blaming misinformation and a media campaign for damaging public trust in the police.
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Government Response: Banerjee revealed that Goyal had offered to resign earlier, but she declined. However, the pressure from public protests and dissatisfaction with his handling of recent incidents prompted his removal.
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Mamata Banerjee had relieved Vineet Goyal of his responsibility as Kolkata Police Commissioner following the massive outrage in RG Kar Medical College following the rape-murder case. She has announced several transfers to the state police and the health departments.
This decision was taken following the five-point demand put forward by the junior doctors in protest at the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical and Hospital on August 9. The demands were: the removal of officials like DME, DHS, and Deputy Commissioner of North Division, for allegedly trying to bribe the family members of the victim.
Banerjee said that a new police commissioner would be announced after 4 PM on Tuesday, depending upon the verdict of the Supreme Court which will hear the RG Kar hospital case.
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Background of Vineet Goyal
Vineet Goyal is a 1994-batch IPS officer and succeeded Soumen Mitra as the commissioner of Kolkata Police in December 2021. Goyal has done his BSc from IIT Kharagpur and MSc from IIT Kanpur. He has illustrious career experiences when he was holding several important positions including Dy. CP Kolkata's Eastern Suburban Division, Special Branch, and Headquarters. He also served as Joint Commissioner of Police for the Special Task Force and Traffic besides Additional Commissioner of police.
Goyal has won many rewards while in service. The list is not brief, including the Police Medal for Gallantry (which he has received not one but two times), Police Medal for Meritorious Service, and Chief Minister's Medal for Outstanding Service.
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Allegations and Controversies
Young doctors have been most vocal in demanding Goyal's resignation, blaming him for mishandling the situation at RG Kar Medical College when he did not act as a responsible administrator during and after the protest by junior doctors on August 14. Vandalism incidents at the hospital during the protest infuriated the public at large. Both opposition and junior doctors have pointed fingers at procedural failure and mismanagement and demanded his resignation.
The opposition also says that Goyal's allegiance to the chief minister is exactly like Rajeev Kumar, Director General of Police. This political linkage was again heavily criticized by opposition parties as it raised questions about Goyal's impartiality.
Despite all these allegations, Goyal maintained that the police had tackled the RG Kar case quite appropriately and misinformation had caused public unrest. On August 15, while delivering his statement in the press, he was very frustrated with the alleged malicious media and social networking campaign and alleged by that he had lost public trust in the police.
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Response of Chief Minister
Recent administrative meeting minutes indicate Banerjee disclosed that Goyal had submitted his resignation, which she declined. Still reeling from criticism for his handling of recent events including the August 14 hospital incident, his position will only worsen as the unabating dissatisfaction with his leadership merges with public protests to bring increased pressure to bear on the government.
The case continued to draw much-needed attention as protests calling for justice were still going on with thousands of citizens participating in various marches across demanding action and accountability.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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