RG Kar issue: Tension flared over parallel protests by Congress, SUCI(C) outside CBI offices

Kolkata : Tension flared following parallel protest demonstrations by Congress and Social Unity Centre of India (Communist) in front of two offices of CBI in and around Kolkata on Saturday afternoon against bail of two people accused of evidence tampering in the case related to the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The Congress supporters staged protest demonstrations in front of CBI's economic offences wing (EOW) office at Nizam Palace in central Kolkata, while SUCI activists staged a protest rally at the CBI's special crime unit office at Central Government Office (CGO) complex at Salt Lake.

The themes of the two parallel protests were the same. Both Congress and SUCI(C) alleged that the special court granted the "default bail" to the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal on Friday as CBI could not submit a charge sheet against them within 90 days.

Fuming over the development, the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) announced day-long protests on Saturday targeting the CBI over the development.

While the rally at the CGO complex was more or less peaceful, tension broke out in front of Nizam Palace following the scuffle between the cops and the Congress workers. As the police stopped the protesting Congress workers from proceeding beyond a certain point, there were scuffles between the cops and protesters.

Soon after that the Congress workers sat on the road in front of the Nizam Palace and started a sit-in-demonstration. They also blocked both sides of the road there resulting in massive traffic congestion during the busy hours.

A series of protests on this issue on different grounds are scheduled throughout the day.