Protests over RG Kar Hospital Case: Junior doctors in West Bengal have announced they will carry on with their ‘cease work’ in view of calling for justice for the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital trainee who was tragically raped and murdered. The defiant decision comes despite the Supreme Court’s order mandating that they resume their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday, September 10. The medics’ resolve remains steadfast as they seek accountability for the horrific crime and justice for their colleague. On Tuesday noon, the doctors plan to rally at Swasthya Bhavan, the health department’s headquarters in Salt Lake, to press their demands further. They are insisting on the resignation of the state’s health secretary and the director of health education, underscoring their frustration with the perceived inaction and lack of justice.
“Our demands are unfulfilled and justice is not meted out to the victim. We will continue our agitation as well as the ‘cease work’. We want the health secretary and DHE to resign. Tomorrow noon, we will hold a rally to the Swasthya Bhavan,” a protesting doctor told PTI after their governing body meeting in Kolkata on Monday. The body of the postgraduate trainee was discovered with injuries in a seminar room at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The fact that the young doctor was raped and murdered while on duty, has sparked widespread outrage and protests across the nation. In response to this horrific event, junior doctors have been on strike at state-run hospitals for the past month.
Supreme Court’s Directive and Government Assurance
In response to the ongoing strike, the Supreme Court has mandated that the doctors return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday. This order came after the West Bengal government assured the court that no punitive measures, such as transfers, would be imposed on the protesting medics if they complied with the directive. Despite this, the doctors remain resolute, continuing their protest and ‘cease work’ until their demands are met.
The CBI expressed concerns in the SC hearing on Monday about the forensic report concerning the postgraduate medic’s case and announced plans to send the samples to AIIMS for additional testing, according to PTI. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, informed Chief Justice DY Chandrachud’s bench that the medical report indicates the death was due to homicide, with evidence of forceful penetration and sexual assault.
Meanwhile, the mother of the deceased trainee doctor has challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s denial of offering financial compensation. On Monday, she disputed the Chief Minister’s statement, asserting that Banerjee did indeed offer monetary support following her daughter’s tragic death.