The doctors on strike in protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month and demanding justice for the victim have also refused to obey the Supreme Court’s order. The striking doctors of West Bengal have decided not to return to work for now. The Supreme Court had asked the striking doctors to return to work by 5 pm today.
Meanwhile, the striking doctors did not hold talks with the state government either. Speaking to news agency ANI, West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, “Yesterday, the Supreme Court had ordered that the agitating students should return to work by 5 pm today. The West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee waited till 5 pm. After this, the administrative officials came to the conclusion that talks should be held with 10 doctors. After this, an email was sent by the Chief Secretary at 6.10 pm to the striking doctors to come to Nabanna for talks.”
He said that till 7.30 pm, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee waited for them in the state secretariat office so that the deadlock could be resolved and a solution could be found, but neither did any response come from the agitating doctors nor did anyone come to meet them. At 7.30 pm, CM Banerjee again left the Nabanna campus. Bhattacharya said that Chief Minister Banerjee has always been requesting the junior doctors to return to their work, but the agitating doctors are adamant.
Meanwhile, the agitating junior doctors defied the court’s order to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said that they will not go on duty until their demands are met and the victim of the RG Kar Hospital incident gets justice. A day earlier, the apex court had directed the protesting resident doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said that no adverse action will be taken against them for not doing so.
The court gave this direction after the West Bengal government assured that no action, including punitive transfers, would be taken against the protesting doctors if they returned to work. One of the agitating doctors told PTI, “We will stop work as our demands are not being met. We have asked the state government to remove the Kolkata Police Commissioner, Health Secretary, Director of Health Services and Director of Medical Education from their posts by 5 pm. We are ready for discussion.” The junior doctors had stopped work on August 9, a few hours after the body of a postgraduate female trainee (doctor) was found in the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. (With Bhasha inputs)
