Kolkata police chief came to me several times to quit: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said Kolkata's Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal had come to her several times to put in his papers in the wake of the fiasco over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder but she had refused to accept his resignation.

"The Commissioner came to me a number of times to resign. He even came to me for the purpose just a week back. But the Durga Puja festival is ahead. The person who will be in charge should be aware of the prevailing situation relating to law and order. What is the harm in having patience for some more days? The protesters are claiming replacement of all. I may replace five but may not replace another five," the Chief Minister told mediapersons after an administrative meeting with the top police officials and bureaucrats in the state amid the continuing protests over the rape and murder issue.

The city police chief had come under scathing criticism from the protesting representatives from the state's medical fraternity in particular, and the civil society in general, with demands being raised about his resignation owing moral responsibility for the alleged lapses in the handling of the initial investigation of the rape and murder case by Kolkata police before it was handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.

The Chief Minister also rubbished the complaint from the Union Home Ministry accusing the state government of not providing infrastructure support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel who have been deployed at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital following a clear direction from the Supreme Court.

"I arranged a primary school run by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and a 30-bed hospital for them. Next, they demanded community halls. If I fulfil that demand, what will happen to those people for whom the community halls have been constructed?" she questioned.

She also said that the Union government should also take some responsibility in the matter instead of pushing the entire burden on the state government. "The Union government is exactly doing that and now blaming us. The Union government and some Left Parties are involved in this conspiracy," Banerjee alleged.