Manoj Kumar takes over as Kolkata Police commissioner, 2 health officials shifted
After the demand made by junior doctors, Vineet Goyal, Kolkata Police commissioner, has been shifted and two health officials have been transferred
The Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal has now been transferred owing to pressure from the protesting junior doctors demanding justice in the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the government-run RG Kar Medical College and hospital.
Keeping one of the key promises made to the doctors in their meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state government has given a new posting for the Kolkata police commissioner Goyal. This was conveyed through a notification which was issued on Tuesday (September 17) afternoon.
The state government also revealed that Dr Kaustav Nayak, the state's director of medical education and Dr Debasish Halder, director of health services have been removed from their posts.
Though Mamata had told the protesting doctors to wait for Durga Puja to be over to move the police, she has gone ahead with the transfers.
Goyal, who she claimed had been offering to resign multiple times, has been replaced by Manoj Verma, who was the additional director general of police (law and order). A 1998-batch officer, he had been ADGP since January this year. At that time, Verma had replaced Jawed Shamim, who was however a frontrunner to become Kolkata's next police commissioner.
Shamim will now become the ADGP (law and order).
Goyal moves to new post
Meanwhile, Goyal, a 1994-batch officer and who has been the Kolkata Police Commissioner since December 2021, will take up a new posting as the Additional Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police (Special Task Force).
The notification included the names of four other police officers as well. One of them is also Abhishek Gupta, the deputy commissioner, north division, where the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is located. He has been replaced by Dipak Sarkar.
The parents of the doctor who was raped and murdered at the hospital on August 9 had alleged that Gupta had offered them money.
Health department transfers
The order by the health department said Dr Swapan Soren has been appointed the new in-charge director of health services and Dr Suparna Dutta the officer on special duty for medical education.
Meanwhile, Nayak will take charge as the director of the Institute of Health and Family Welfare and Halder has been posted as the officer on special duty (public health) at Swasthya Bhawan.
The agitating junior doctors had finally met Mamata Banerjee on Monday after talks fell through several times over a demand for live streaming of the meeting.
99 per cent of demands met
According to Mamata Banerjee, 99 per cent of the demands made by the doctors have been fulfilled.
"We have listened to the doctors and decided to replace the police commissioner. He has voluntarily agreed to resign.In the health department, they requested the removal of three officials, we have agreed to two. What more can we do? We have asked the doctors to return to work so that the public doesn't suffer," she said.