RG KAR VANDALISM RETURNS TO BENGAL’S POLITICAL FLASHPOINT AS SUVENDU TARGETS MAMATA AND ATIN GHOSH
October 10, 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has renewed the political confrontation over the 2024 RG Kar Medical College and Hospital vandalism, accusing former chief minister Mamata Banerjee of ordering the attack and alleging that then Trinamool Congress MLA Atin Ghosh mobilised those involved in the destruction. The allegations were made on Saturday while Adhikari was addressing the national convention of Medivision, the medical and healthcare wing of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), at the hospital in Kolkata.
Adhikari linked the vandalism of August 14, 2024, to the wider controversy surrounding the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor whose body was discovered at RG Kar on August 9 that year. He alleged that the hospital attack was carried out with the assistance of certain Kolkata Police personnel and claimed that it was intended to protect influential individuals. These accusations represent Adhikari’s allegations and have not been established as judicial findings.
The chief minister described the RG Kar controversy as involving several interconnected issues, including the doctor’s death, the subsequent vandalism and alleged financial irregularities at the institution. The criminal investigation into the rape and murder was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and civic volunteer Sanjay Roy was convicted in the case. The victim’s parents have continued to express dissatisfaction with the investigation and have sought further scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death.
Adhikari also attacked the previous state government over the separate investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh. He claimed that the administration had withheld approval for his prosecution for more than a year and a half, thereby delaying the CBI’s ability to file a chargesheet. Adhikari said he had approved the relevant file within minutes after taking office, presenting the move as evidence of his government’s commitment to accountability.
The chief minister further outlined several actions taken by his administration since assuming office in May. These included registering a separate first information report concerning the alleged forcible cremation of the trainee doctor’s body and suspending three IPS officers—Vineet Goyal, Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta. The cremation-related allegations have also been subject to judicial scrutiny, with the Calcutta High Court intervening to stop a parallel investigation by the state police.
Another issue raised by Adhikari concerned renovation and maintenance work near the seminar room where the doctor’s body was discovered. He maintained that responsibility for electrical and maintenance work rested with the state Public Works Department rather than the Health Department. He said he would have removed the then health secretary had the official ordered the PWD to carry out repairs in the area.
The remarks at RG Kar have brought the unresolved questions surrounding the hospital’s security, the handling of the original crime investigation and the alleged financial irregularities back into the political spotlight. Adhikari’s accusations have intensified pressure on the former administration, while the distinction between political allegations and matters established through the ongoing judicial and investigative processes remains central to the case.
The RG Kar tragedy triggered widespread protests by doctors, students and civil society groups across West Bengal and beyond, making it one of the most consequential public controversies in the state in recent years. Adhikari’s latest statements signal that the case will remain a major focus of his government’s campaign for accountability and its broader political confrontation with Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress.
