Kolkata Rape Murder Case: Centre Moves Supreme Court Alleging Non-cooperation By West Bengal Government

New Delhi: Alleging “unpardonable” non-cooperation by the West Bengal government in providing logistical beef as much as the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Centre on Tuesday, 03 September 2024 moved the Supreme Court. The CISF has been tasked with providing security on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a trainee doctor changed into raped and murdered.

Terming the alleged non-cooperation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government as an instance “symptomatic of a systemic malaise”, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a direction to West Bengal authorities to extend full cooperation to the CISF.

The Centre urged the Supreme Court to initiate contempt lawsuits against the state government officials concerned for “wilful non-compliance” of the court orders.

The SC had taken an important note of mob violence within the clinic and the allegation that the Kolkata police fled the scene, and ordered deployment of CISF on the clinic to enable doctors to renew work.

In an application filed within the case the SC initiated by itself, the MHA said the plea “concerns the deployment of CISF personnel on the R G Kar Medical College, including the hostels where the resident doctors are staying to be sure their safety”.

“The CISF personnel deployed at RG Kar Hospital are facing severe difficulties attributable to lack of accommodation and absence of basic security infrastructure. The troops are on the moment staying at CISF Unit SMP, Kolkata despite the constraints being faced by the accommodating unit,” it said.

The applying said the commute time from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata to the clinic changed into an hour from one side and it changed into challenging to discharge duties effectively and to mobilise CISF troops to duly and promptly respond during contingencies.

It said the MHA had taken up the matter with the manager secretary of West Bengal through a September 2 letter soliciting for for adequate logistical arrangements and security gadgets required by the force.

“It truly is submitted that thereafter, there changed into no response from the state government to be sure adequate beef as much as the CISF personnels that are deployed to be sure security of the residents/workers within the RG Kar Medical Hospital less than the orders of this court,” the application said.

It said such non-cooperation changed into now no longer expected from a state government in a tense situation because the present one. The protection of doctors, females doctors, specifically, ought to be the tip priority for the state, the application said.

“It truly is submitted that the inaction of the state of West Bengal, despite repeated requests, is symptomatic of a systemic malaise wherein such non-cooperation with central agencies operating less than court orders, is the norm. It truly is submitted that the identical amounts to wilful non-compliance of the orders of this court,” the application said.

It said a state government, duly elected by the people, is supposed to be fair in its conduct, specifically when it concerns the safety of its residents.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud is scheduled to listen to the case on September 5.

The murder and alleged rape of the junior doctor inside of a seminar hall of the state-run clinic has sparked nationwide protests.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered transferring the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.

(With PTI inputs)