In compliance with a Supreme Court directive, Kolkata Police has withdrawn all 136 civic volunteers previously stationed at four medical colleges and MR Bangur Hospital. This decision follows the court’s scrutiny of the deployment of civic volunteers in sensitive establishments, including hospitals, after the August 9 rape and murder case at RG Kar Medical College, where a civic volunteer was the main accused. A notification was issued by joint CP (headquarters) Meeraj Khalid on Thursday, ordering the withdrawal of the volunteers by 5pm, with replacements to be deployed within 48 to 72 hours.
The Supreme Court, in a ruling on Tuesday by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, questioned the role of civic volunteers in sensitive areas and directed the state government to report back by November 5 on steps taken to address the issue. The court sought clarification on whether these volunteers are involved in police stations and investigations.
The police are replacing the civic volunteers with constables, home guards, and personnel from a private security agency. The transition is expected to take time as replacements are arranged across the state. Government hospitals in Kolkata have already started replacing civic volunteers with home guards and private security from the Ex-Servicemen Resettlement Society (ERS).
At institutions like the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER) and the Medical College Kolkata, civic volunteers were discharged from duty by 5pm. Those who had reported for work were reassigned to police stations or traffic duty. Civic volunteers, such as Siddhartha Das, who had been stationed at Calcutta National Medical College for five years, were redirected to traffic duties while awaiting new assignments.
