A group of men broke through police barricades outside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and went on the rampage inside past Wednesday midnight, smashing the emergency room and several other places on the campus.

The men were armed with lathis, bricks and fish-cutting blades and police allegedly did not do enough to stop them when they made their way inside.

The attack, which coincided with the “reclaim the night” vigil across the city and beyond that saw spontaneous participation of thousands of people, started around 12.20am. The attackers allegedly had a free run for more than 40 minutes.

The shamiana where junior doctors were protesting was smashed. The chairs and fans were broken.

At least two police SUVs were toppled and they lay on their sides on the road
leading to the hospital early on the Independence Day morning.

Inside the hospital, the gang smashed windows and overturned beds in a portion of the emergency ward.

The officer-in-charge of Maniktala police station, Debasis Datta, was seen bleeding from the head. His white uniform had blood stains.

Around 1.40am, young men were still pelting the police with stones outside the hospital.

Videos emerged where doctors were seen trying to barricade doors to stall the rampaging mob. Some of the videos had people expressing concern that it was an attempt to destroy evidence of the rape and murder of the junior doctor that has shocked the nation.

A room for police personnel inside the hospital was not spared. CCTV cameras lay strewn on the floor.

Some witnesses said the attackers had merged with the protesters outside the campus before the attack.

The police lobbed tear gas shells to chase the group away.

A senior Kolkata Police officer said they were using drones for surveillance and reinforcements were sent to the hospital.