A day after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met protesting junior doctors in Kolkata, the state government on Tuesday appointed Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner. Verma succeeds Vineet Kumar Goyal, who has been reassigned as ADG and IGP of the Special Task Force in West Bengal.
The appointment of Verma comes more than a month after the protests began on August 9, demanding justice for the deceased doctor. The protests, led by junior doctors across the state, have drawn widespread attention and significantly disrupted medical services.
This reshuffle in the police leadership follows Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement on Monday night, where she revealed her decision to remove senior police and health officials, including Goyal, to meet the protesters’ demands. The move came after the first round of talks between Banerjee and a delegation of junior doctors at her residence in Kalighat.
The removal of senior officials, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner, was a key demand made by the protesting medical professionals, who had expressed frustration over the handling of the case. The protests have been fueled by allegations of inadequate security at medical institutions and the slow pace of the investigation into the junior doctor’s death at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Banerjee’s decision to remove Goyal, along with other high-ranking officials, is seen as a direct response to the protesters’ call for accountability and systemic change.
The West Bengal government’s action is viewed as the first concrete step towards resolving the crisis that has gripped the state’s healthcare sector for over a month. However, it remains to be seen whether this leadership change will be enough to fully satisfy the protesting doctors and restore normalcy to the state’s medical services.
Chief Minister Banerjee is expected to continue negotiations with the junior doctors, who are demanding further reforms, including enhanced security at medical colleges and faster legal action against those responsible for the brutal crime.