West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and the transfer of several top officials in the police and state health departments. This decision followed demands from junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Mamata Banerjee agreed to most of the five-point demands from the junior doctors, including the dismissal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Deputy Commissioner (North Division), who allegedly tried to bribe the victim’s parents.
“We will announce the name of the new police commissioner after 4 pm on Tuesday, following the scheduled Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar hospital case,” Banerjee stated at midnight after a meeting with the protesting doctors at her Kalighat residence, just hours before the Supreme Court hearing.
Who is Vineet Goyal?
Vineet Kumar Goyal, a 1994-batch IPS officer, took over as the Kolkata Police Commissioner in December 2021, succeeding Soumen Mitra. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur, Goyal has held multiple roles in the Kolkata Police, including Deputy Commissioner for the Eastern Suburban Division, Special Branch, and Headquarters. He also served as Joint Commissioner for the Special Task Force and Traffic, and Additional Commissioner of Police.
Goyal has been awarded the police medal for gallantry twice, along with the police medal for meritorious service and the Chief Minister’s medal for outstanding service.
Allegations Against Vineet Goyal
Protests following the alleged rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College intensified demands for Vineet Goyal’s removal. Both doctors and opposition parties claimed that Goyal, like West Bengal’s Director General of Police, Rajeev Kumar, had strong ties to Mamata Banerjee.
Criticism against Goyal surged after the mishandling of the August 14 vandalism during a protest march at RG Kar hospital. Junior doctors accused him of procedural failures, which led to growing protests and political backlash.
In a recent administrative meeting, Mamata Banerjee revealed that Goyal had offered to resign, but she refused his request. Public dissatisfaction with his leadership grew following his handling of the hospital incident, particularly after August 14.
Goyal, visibly frustrated, commented on August 15 that rumors and malicious media and social media campaigns had damaged public trust in the police. His statement followed police clashes with protesters at RG Kar Medical College. Despite the unrest, Goyal maintained that the police had acted appropriately in managing the rape and murder case, which has sparked widespread protests demanding justice.