Junior doctors in Kolkata continued their protest for the fourth consecutive night, despite heavy rain, gathering at Swasthya Bhawan in the Salt Lake area to demand justice for their 31-year-old colleague, a trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College.
The doctors are also calling for improved safety measures at medical institutions across the state.
In a bid to maintain security at the protest site, the Kolkata Police have installed CCTV cameras in and around the area. This action follows the doctors’ continued stand to seek justice, even after the Supreme Court set a deadline for them to resume work by Tuesday.
The protest has also taken a political turn, with the doctors openly criticising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. On September 13, they expressed disappointment after she rejected their request to live telecast a meeting aimed at addressing their demands, PTI reported.
According to Anustup Mukherjee, one of the protesting doctors, the request was based on the precedence of live telecasts for parliamentary discussions and administrative meetings. The doctors were also asked to leave their electronic gadgets outside the meeting hall, preventing any video recording of the proceedings.
“If all parliamentary discussions can be live telecast, if even the Chief Minister herself encourages live telecast of all her administrative meetings, then perhaps our request was not unjustified. Also, as we are headed towards the discussion regarding our demands of justice and not any subjudice matter, we did not find any breach of code of law in our request for live telecast. We are also asked to leave all our electronic gadgets outside of meeting hall, which negates any chance of video recording from our side. But unfortunately, this issue remained non negotiable,” Mukherjee told reporters.
Meanwhile, CM Mamata Banerjee has urged the protesting doctors to return to work, assuring them that she is committed to ensuring justice for the victim. During a press conference, she stated, “I am ready to resign from the Chief Minister of West Bengal. I am not concerned about the post. I want justice for the victim, I am only concerned about ordinary people getting medical service.”
The protests began following the rape and murder of a second-year postgraduate medical student inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9. The case has sparked outrage, with junior doctors demanding swift action and greater safety protocols for healthcare professionals.