A section of Calcuttans, many of them doctors, has written to the city’s police commissioner, Vineet Goyal, requesting him “to take decisive action to restore faith in our police force” in the wake of vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital early on Thursday.

“...while multiple peaceful protests were being spearheaded by women across the city, a mob of goons armed with rod and lathis stormed RG Kar Medical College and destroyed the Emergency and ENT Departments. It is a matter of distress that the police guards initially ran away. In spite of three nearby police stations, it took nearly an hour before the mob could be chased away,” the letter says.

As thousands walked through the streets of Calcutta to “reclaim” the roads at midnight on Wednesday, a large group of men and women armed with sticks and steel rods stormed the medical college compound and vandalised at least three departments in two buildings.

The unarmed cops posted in the college to deal with a peaceful protest were outnumbered and were left with no option but to try and tackle the mob with bare hands. Some ran away and took shelter inside the hospital compound before regrouping.

“The entire infrastructure — equipment, saline and whatever else is required (for treatment) — has been damaged,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday.

Some in the mob managed to reach the boys’ hostel. While the rampage was on, many students and junior doctors locked themselves inside the lecture theatre on the ground floor of the hospital’s administrative building.

“We, the citizens of Kolkata, now ask you to take decisive action to restore our faith in our police force. We hope you will direct your officers to round up not one, two or five but all members of the mob to face the consequences of their actions,” the letter, signed by over 200 people said.

The majority of the signatories are doctors based in the city.

“As residents of this city, we still have some residual faith in the Calcutta police and this letter is an appeal to restore the belief that we have in the efficacy of this police force,” said Ranjan Roychowdhury, a doctor who initiated the appeal. “There are some teachers among the signatories as well.”

Around the time the letter was mailed to the city police chief on Friday afternoon, Goyal admitted at a news conference in Lalbazar that a section of people lacked trust in the police.

“We have nothing to hide. We had to spread thin on the night (of Wednesday) and deploy resources throughout the city. A deputy commissioner (of police) was posted at RG Kar (Medical College and Hospital),” Goyal said.

“We have already arrested about 25 people. I want to appeal to the citizens of Calcutta that whatever vandalism has happened, anybody who is responsible, we will arrest them. Let there be no doubt as far as this is concerned,” Goyal said on Friday.