Kalyani, Feb. 12: Unidentified miscreants sneaked inside the Kalyani based College of Medicine & JNM Hospital’s academic campus on Friday night and ransacked an advanced auditorium, damaged its ceiling, acoustic system, and vandalized adjacent washrooms as well as cut off cables despite round-the-clock surveillance by three security agencies at the sprawling premises.
The incident prompted around 250 junior doctors, interns as well as four batches of MBBS students to launch a sit-in demonstration in front of the College’s administrative building from Saturday morning for an indefinite period demanding assured security arrangements by the West Bengal University of Health Sciences, which controls the Medical College.
Meanwhile, Kalyani police have begun a probe on the basis of a complaint lodged by the College authorities. However, no one could be arrested till evening. Preliminary investigation revealed that the miscreants broke a window to enter inside the auditorium, which remained unnoticed by security personnel. Police officials visited the auditorium on Saturday. However, the cops appeared to be clueless in absence of any CCTV footage.
“We suspect a conspiracy behind the incident. We are afraid since the motive of the miscreants was not theft. They basically wanted to damage the properties of the college which the students regularly use. The miscreants might attack students. Surprisingly there was security personnel, but they have no idea about the damage. The vandalism came to notice only when some college staff found it on Saturday morning”, Salman Halder, a final ear MBBS student, and students’ union secretary said.
The agitating students claimed that their suspicion about a possible foul play behind the vandalism became stronger following a fire that broke out at a room adjacent to the emergency unit of the hospital on consecutive three occasions early this month under mysterious circumstances.
“Recovery of suspected inflammable items from the same spot after three days successive fire attempt speak a lot of things. Police also nabbed two persons’ suspecting their hands behind the mysterious fire. We demanded a police camp inside the campus, but the administration did nothing so far. So we have decided to continue the demonstration until the administration makes a permanent solution, said students’ leader Salman.
Medical superintendent Avijit Mukherjee said, “I fully support the concern of the students and support their issue. Security has become a matter of concern in the hospital and at the academic campus. I have appraised the University authorities about the vandalism and students’ agitation”.
Sources said that the college authorities meanwhile sought approval to issue a show-cause notice to the private security service which was assigned duty at the auditorium.
Meanwhile, a team of the health department’s education wing would likely visit the academic hospital and college campus, who would also talk to the students to offer a solution.