Kolkata’s Commissioner of Police, Vineet Goyal, is facing intense criticism over the handling of the investigation into the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the city’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Despite the police claiming they fulfilled all necessary duties, the Calcutta High Court has transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing a lack of significant progress in the investigation.
The opposition BJP has also pointed fingers at the Kolkata Police and Commissioner Goyal. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted, “Meet Vineet Kumar Goyal, Commissioner of Kolkata Police. He, as Inspector General of CID, was the investigating officer in the much-publicized Kamduni rape and murder case, which he botched up completely. Similar modus operandi, involving scratch marks on the victim’s body, was observed in the RG Kar case too.” Malviya was referring to the gangrape and murder of a 20-year-old woman in Kamduni village, Barasat, in 2013.
On Thursday, Vineet Goyal blamed a “malicious campaign” on social media for tarnishing the police’s image. “What has happened here is due to a malicious media campaign… The Kolkata Police has done everything in this case. We have tried to satisfy the family, but rumors are being spread… I am extremely angry. We have not done anything wrong,” the Commissioner stated.
“Because of this malicious media campaign, Kolkata Police has lost the trust of the people. We never said there was only one accused; we were waiting for scientific evidence, which takes time… I can’t arrest a young PG student just based on rumors, it’s against my conscience. There is immense pressure from the media, but I am clear that we have done what is right. Now, the CBI is investigating the case, and they will conduct a fair investigation. We will provide all the necessary support to the CBI,” he added.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari responded, “No Mr. Commissioner, Vineet Goyal, you and your police force are not the target of any ‘malicious media campaign.’ You have lost the trust of the public because of your attempts to botch up the investigation, not because of any media campaign.”
Earlier, on August 12, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had issued a stern warning to the Kolkata Police, stating that the CBI would take over the case if it wasn’t solved by Sunday, August 18. However, on August 13, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI after the victim’s parents requested an independent probe. The court criticized the police’s handling of the case from the very beginning.
#WATCH | Kolkata Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal says, “…What has happened here is because of the wrong media campaign, which has been a malicious media campaign which is going as far as Kolkata police is concerned. What has the Kolkata police not done? It has done everything… https://t.co/UNpmrdVm9l pic.twitter.com/pgt1gFNnsQ
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2024
Vineet Goyal, a 1994-batch IPS officer, is the current Commissioner of Kolkata Police, having taken over the position on January 1, 2022. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, Goyal has held several key positions in both Kolkata Police and the state police. Before becoming the Commissioner, he served as the Additional Director-General (ADG) of the state police’s Special Task Force (STF). He has also worked as a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), including DCP (Traffic), and rose to the position of Additional Commissioner of Police.
Recently, the Union Home Ministry initiated disciplinary action against Goyal and Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Central Indira Mukherjee for allegedly maligning the office of the West Bengal Governor and violating protocol.