West Bengal to hire 12,000 police officers for enhanced hospital security

West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the state plans to hire 12,000 police officers, with some assigned to government hospitals, in response to security issues raised by the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College.

The recruitment process is set to commence on September 30, following discussions with leaders from medical colleges and hospitals.

The CM said, “I cannot immediately provide policemen at all places but we will provide it soon. We will recruit 12,000 cops, and the recruitment will be cleared by Monday. I have asked for the process to be expedited so that the new recruits can be posted after a short training period of three to six months.”

This announcement follows concerns raised by the Supreme Court regarding the West Bengal government’s approach to enhancing security at hospitals in light of the ongoing RG Kar hospital case. The apex court expressed doubts about the adequacy of the state’s plan to hire 1,514 privately trained security guards for government hospitals, especially after a civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state, stated that these security measures would be temporary until regular police personnel could be assigned. The government has also appointed six retired police officers as security advisors for six hospitals, including Calcutta National Medical College and IPGMER, as part of the Rattirer Sathi initiative.

West Bengal’s Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar and former DGP Surajit Kar Purkayasthya will supervise the Rattirer Sathi app and the security arrangements at all medical colleges and hospitals, which will also encompass the safety of women’s hostels.

(With agency inputs)