The meeting proposed a day earlier between junior doctors and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government to resolve the ongoing deadlock over the government RG Kar Hospital case in Kolkata in West Bengal has failed. After this, the protesters continued their sit-in and stopped work for the third consecutive day on Friday outside the state health building.
About 30 doctors from 26 medical colleges, who were protesting for justice to the women doctors and their families and other demands, had reached Nabanna (State Secretariat) for the meeting but the doctors refused to attend the meeting as the State Government did not accept their demand for live telecast of the meeting.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the meeting with junior doctors cannot be telecast live as demanded by them as the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. She said her government has made arrangements to record it and hand over the recording to them (junior doctors) if required with the permission of the court.
The protesting doctors said their sit-in outside the ‘Swasthya Bhawan’ will continue till their key demands, including suspension of the police commissioner, health secretary, director of health services and director of medical education, are met.
A member of the junior doctors’ association said, “We want to resume our work but will not do so until our demands are met.” The state government and the chief minister have repeatedly urged the doctors to return to work.
Talks between the West Bengal government and doctors failed to take place on Thursday. The protesters said that they are still ready for a meeting but the talks should be held in a completely transparent manner, which is possible only if the meeting is telecast live.
Doctors said that many people have shown solidarity with the protesters. They have cut down their budget for Durga Puja celebrations to provide us with food and other material or have celebrated their birthdays with the protesters to show their solidarity.
While distributing sweets to the protesting doctors, a father said, “I pay my respects to these doctors for the future of my 11-year-old daughter.” A protesting doctor said, “We are overwhelmed by such support in this effort for justice in the RG Kar case and it is helping us keep our morale high.”
A large number of police personnel have been deployed in and around the ‘Swasthya Bhawan’ in Salt Lake to maintain law and order and ensure smooth traffic.