Bengal | Civic volunteers going rogue is a big headache for Mamata govt

The gruesome rape and murder of a doctor in a reputed government-run medical college and hospital in Kolkata by a civic volunteer is yet another example of how the force raised for community engagement is “turning rogue”.

Overwhelmed by complaints against members of the force of transgression, recruited essentially through political recommendations, the state government is now planning to streamline its recruitment process and roles and responsibilities.

The minimum age and qualification to be a civil volunteer is 20 years and Class VIII pass respectively. They are posted in a nearby or same locality of which they are a resident. A volunteer gets an honorarium of around ₹15,000 per month.

Officially, their recruitment is done through an interview conducted by an enrollment committee. Preferences are given to those candidates who have the experience of being an NCC cadet / Boy Scout / NSS Guide / Civil Defence Volunteer or possess driving or other technical skills.

Volunteers recommended by local leader of ruling party

In reality, sources in the police department said, the only thing that matters is the recommendation of the local leader of the ruling party. The officer-in-charge of the local police station prepares a list of recommended names and sends it to the enrollment committee for selection.

Even the mandatory police verification and background check of the recruits are not done in most of the cases since they are “candidates” of local leaders, sources added. Many do not even bother to attend the obligatory two-week training before induction.

After induction on a contractual basis, many allegedly start wielding their political clout and misuse their embedment in the police force.

Multiple allegations against Sanjay Roy

Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last week, embodied the criminal face of the volunteer-force, police officials admit in private.

The 33-year-old, who joined the Kolkata Police as a civic volunteer in 2019, had multiple allegations against him in the past including that of assaulting his pregnant wife in 2022, extortion, intimidation, running a tout racket within the RG Kar hospital, and influencing “wrongful transfer” of police officials.

Misuse of political clout

Far from being brought to book, his connections made him a member of the Police Welfare Board’s influential central committee.

He allegedly used his position in the board to influence the transfer of at least six police personnel from a police station and a police outpost in the city.

He had such powerful backers who even gave him access to the Kolkata Police's 4th battalion's barracks, where he reportedly stayed and slept after committing the latest crime at the RG Kar Hospital.

He often masqueraded as a police officer and wore a Kolkata Police’s t-shirt. He even had the audacity to put a KP tag on his bike and received from the department five litres of petrol to run the motorcycle, though a civic volunteer is not entitled to such benefits.

Fleecing money from patients and relatives

It was through his connections that Roy managed a posting at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s police outpost. This turned out to be a lucrative assignment for him. He started fleecing money from the hapless relatives, promising admission of patients at the hospital. If a bed was not available at the government-run hospital, he would arrange one in the nearby nursing homes at an extra charge.

“He had unrestricted access to all departments of the medical college and hospital. A few weeks ago, he had misbehaved with a female doctor of the hospital. But despite being found guilty, no action was taken against him,” said a police official.

Other volunteers involved in crimes

Alarmingly, Sanjay is not the first civic volunteer found involved in crimes.

Close on the heels of the RG Kar incident, another civic volunteer Susanta Roy was arrested for misbehaving and threatening a female doctor at a state-run Bhatar State General Hospital in Purba Bardhaman district. As per the woman’s complaint, the accused threatened that she would face consequences similar to that of the RG Kar doctor.

A civic volunteer Pritam Bhattacharya was arrested along with a home guard for his alleged involvement in the 2022 murder of student leader Anis Khan, a firebrand critic of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.

Another civic volunteer, Raju Halder, was arrested a couple of years ago for allegedly supplying fake examinees to government service exam candidates. He allegedly took ₹2-3 lakh from each candidate.

There were more such instances where the names of civic volunteers figured in crimes ranging from robbery, blackmailing, harassing motorists to forgery.

That’s not all, police officials said, they even suspect a section of these volunteers is leaking vital information from police stations.

Recruitment process needs to be revamped

True, not all civic volunteers are involved in crime. But their growing involvement in criminal activities calls for a relook into their recruitment process and roles, the state government reportedly told the police directorate on Monday (August 12).

Police officials, however, say that as long as the recruitment is done through political recommendation, it will be impossible to rein in the party-backed volunteers.