RG Kar crime scene not compromised during mob rampage last night, don't spread rumours: Kolkata Police

Responding to reports that the fourth-floor room where the crime took place has been vandalised, Kolkata Police said in a post on X, "Crime scene is Seminar Room and it has not been touched. Don't spread unverified news. We will initiate legal action for spreading rumours."

Late last night, when neighbourhoods across Bengal were witnessing massive gatherings by women to protest against the heinous rape and murder, miscreants vandalised the emergency building of the RG Kar Hospital where the crime took place.

They even overturned the police vehicles and attacked vehicles, damaged public property. Police had used teargas shells to disperse the mob. Several police officers were injured in the clash.

While it is not yet clear who is behind the mob violence, Leader of the Opposition, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, has alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent "goons" of the Trinamool College to disrupt the apolitical protest rally near the hospital.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee blamed the DYFI and Bharatiya Janata Party for the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last night.

"As far as I have received information, I am not blaming students but some outsider political people- DYFI and BJP- who want to create anarchy in Bengal," she said.

"The ones who vandalised are outsiders. They are not related to the students' protests."

Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Number 2 in the party, said the hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight "exceeded all acceptable limits".

"As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata, urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today's violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliations. The demands of the protesting doctors are fair and justified. This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritised," Banerjee said in a post on X.

Nine people have been arrested by police so far in connection with the vandalism.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now investigating the rape and murder case that has shaken the nation.

The central agency took over the investigation after the Calcutta High Court noted that Kolkata Police had made no significant progress in the case and transferred the case.

The parents of the victim had filed a petition, seeking a probe monitored by the court to ensure evidence is not tampered with.