 "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her decision to remove Goyal as Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP). Image courtesy: X/@CPKolkata")
After days of intense protests following the shocking rape and murder of a postgraduate student at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College last month, the city’s top cop, Vineet Goyal, has been removed from his position.
Following a six-hour meeting with protesting doctors on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her decision to remove Goyal as Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP).
The chief minister addressed the media following the meeting at her residence, stating that Goyal himself expressed his willingness to resign amidst the statewide stir and allegations against the Kolkata Police.
“Given the demand of junior doctors, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal has said in the meeting that he is ready to resign,” Banerjee explained.
But who exactly is Kolkata CP Vineet Goyal, and why did the doctors insist on his removal? Let’s take a closer look
Who is Kolkata CP Vineet Goyal?
The top cop is a 1994-batch IPS officer and an alumnus of both IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur. He took charge as Kolkata’s Police Commissioner in December 2021, succeeding Soumen Mitra.
Throughout his career, Goyal has held various significant positions in the Kolkata Police, including deputy commissioner of police for the eastern suburban division, special branch, and headquarters.
He also served as joint commissioner of police for the Special Task Force and Traffic, as well as additional commissioner of police.
Goyal is a highly decorated officer, having received the police medal for gallantry twice, the police medal for meritorious service, and the Chief Minister’s medal for outstanding service. His work has consistently been praised within the government.
However, In June, reports emerged that the Union Home Ministry began disciplinary action against Goyal and a Deputy Commissioner of Police for allegedly criticising the West Bengal Governor’s office. However, no action has been taken by the chief minister so far in the case.
Recently, Goyal has also come under fire for his investigation in the gruesome RG Kar rape and murder case that led to his removal.
Why did doctors demand Goyal’s removal
The demand for Vineet Goyal’s removal from the post of Kolkata Police Commissioner arose following the rape and murder at a state-run hospital. Both doctors and opposition parties claimed that the top cop was loyal to CM Mamata Banerjee.
Following the August 14 vandalism at the RG Kar Hospital during a protest march by the junior doctors, Goyal has been facing the wrath of the protesting doctors. He was accused of mismanaging the situation when a mob allegedly stormed the hospital, allegedly for tampering with the evidence of crime.
The next day, Goyal, visibly frustrated, said that rumours and misleading facts spreading through social media campaigns have discouraged public trust in the police.
Goyal admitted that despite “sufficient security presence”, the police did not expect the protesting crowd to turn violent outside the hospital premises and were initially caught off-guard when a deputy commissioner-ranked officer got hurt.
He further failed to address procedural lapses and defended the police’s efforts, stating that they did their best to handle the rape and murder case of the young medic, which had sparked mass outrage and protests demanding justice.
He maintained that the police acted transparently and handed over all evidence, including a videographed post-mortem, to the CBI, which was ordered to investigate by the Calcutta High Court.
“We are not shielding anyone, and police tried to be as transparent as possible in our probe. We have handed over all evidence related to the case to the CBI. Have faith in the central probe agency,” he said.
Despite his defense, Goyal’s explanations failed to placate the protesting doctors. His removal became a central point in their five-point charter of demands, ultimately leading to his ouster.
‘Demonstrations to continue until…’
After a critical meeting with CM Minister Mamata Banerjee, it was announced that many of the demands made by the protesting doctors were accepted.
The CM confirmed the decision to transfer key officials, including top figures from Kolkata Police and the state health department, and requested the junior doctors to withdraw their cease-work.
Apart from Goyal, the Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police (North), who faces allegations of bribery from the victim’s family, will also be removed, Banerjee stated.
In addition, Director of Medical Education Kaustav Naik and Director of Health Services Debashis Halder have been relieved of their duties.
While a new Kolkata Police Commissioner is expected to be named later on Tuesday, the doctors, though welcoming Goyal’s removal, vowed to continue their protests. They emphasised that not all of their demands had been met, particularly the call for the Health Secretary’s removal.
“Removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal our moral victory…our cease work, demonstration to continue till promises made by Bengal CM to fulfil our demands materialise,” the doctors were quoted as saying by India Today.
They added, “It is a win for the agitation. It is a fact that the state administration has admitted to most of our demands. However, a discussion took place regarding the corruption case in the Health Department, and until it is resolved, we will not end the cease-work”.
With input from agencies