West Bengal’s junior doctors meet govt. officials over demands as hunger strike completes four days

Resident doctors scuffle with Kolkata Police in central Kolkata area after police deny permission for the doctors to move forward with their ‘Abhaya Parikrama’ rally; hours later, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose visits site of protest

The West Bengal government met with a delegation of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) at the State Health Department headquarters (Swasthya Bhawan) on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) evening.

This follows the indefinite hunger strike of seven junior doctors completing 96 hours in the evening.

“We do not know why we have been called to the meeting, but we will not negotiate on our demands. We will simply reiterate what we have been demanding all this while,” said Debasish Halder, a protesting junior doctor, before the WBJDF delegation left for Swasthya Bhawan.

Wednesday (October 9) marks two months since a female doctor was raped and murdered on duty at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) on August 9. Following two cease-work strikes, seven resident doctors have been observing a ‘fast unto death’ since the evening of October 5 over a set of 10 demands, including justice for the victim, increased safety for healthcare workers and improved patient services in State-run hospitals.

“We have communicated our detailed 10-point demands in writing multiple times to the government already,” said Dr. Sayantani Ghosh Hazra, one of the seven junior doctors on hunger strike. “How much corruption does it take for there to be no justice even after 60 days since the rape and murder on August 9?”

Scuffle with police

Earlier in the day, resident doctors got into a scuffle with Kolkata Police at central Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk area when police denied permission for the doctors to move forward with their ‘Abhaya Parikrama’ rally. As part of the rally, protesting doctors had planned to go around several Durga Pujas in the city wearing white coats with red handprints and carrying a representative sculpture of the deceased doctor, to distribute leaflets with their demands.

Hours after the scuffle unfolded, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose visited the protest site at Kolkata’s Dharmatala where the seven doctors have been continuing their hunger strike amidst other protesting doctors. Renowned Bengali actor-director Aparna Sen also visited the protest site to show solidarity.

Senior doctors resignation

• Senior doctors of R.G. Kar Medical College tender mass resignation in support of protesting resident doctors

• Bengal government should apologise to people, says Governor as senior doctors at R.G. Kar hospital resign

• West Bengal’s protesting resident doctors announce hunger strike until demands are met

Agitating doctors also took out a rally from Karunamoyee to the office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at CGO Complex to protest against the arrest of only one person so far in the doctor’s rape and murder.

Meanwhile, protests have erupted in famous Durga Puja pandals in the city, like Maddox Square and Tridhara Sammilani, where protesters gathered with banners and posters and sloganeered amidst crowds of pandal hoppers and devotees.

Published - October 09, 2024 01:16 pm IST