The doctors’ agitation over the case of rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital in West Bengal intensified on Wednesday. More senior doctors from various government hospitals in the state submitted their resignations, while junior doctors have planned to protest in support of their demands at various Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata. Meanwhile, some doctors’ organizations have announced that they will march to the CBI office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake to put pressure on the central agency probing the rape and murder case.
On Tuesday, at least 48 senior doctors and faculty members of RG Kar Hospital submitted mass resignations. Besides, doctors from two other government hospitals have also threatened a similar move to support their junior doctors, who are on an indefinite hunger strike since last week. This strike is to demand justice in the case of rape and murder of his colleague. On Wednesday, several doctors from Medical College Kolkata and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Siliguri tendered mass resignations.
The resignation letter signed by senior doctors of the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, said, “We, the senior faculty members of the Medical College and Hospital, are tendering our collective resignation in protest against the insensitive attitude towards the just democratic movement and the worsening situation of the doctors who are on indefinite hunger strike. Can raise his voice in protest against health. If the situation demands, he will personally resign.”
After senior doctors of RG Kar Hospital signed mass resignation on Tuesday, a top official of the state health department had said that the government has not yet received any formal letter from the doctors, and if any such letter is received then The administration will take a decision on this. The CBI on Monday filed its first chargesheet in the case, accusing Sanjay Roy of rape and murder. The agency did not add any section related to gang rape, indicating that Roy is the only accused.
Dr. Biplab Chandra said, “We three organizations of doctors and nurses will rally from Karunamoyee to CGO Complex on Wednesday. The CBI chargesheet is disappointing and ridiculous. After 58 days of investigation they have found only Sanjay Roy as accused. We believe That this is a failure of the CBI.” Meanwhile, the indefinite strike by seven junior doctors, which started on Saturday night, entered the fourth day on Wednesday.
The junior doctors have planned a rally called “Abhaya Parikrama”, in which they will visit some of the major Durga Puja pandals of the city and convey their demands to the common citizens. The state’s biggest festival Durga Puja has already started and thousands of people are taking to the streets to visit the pandals. A junior doctor said, “We will go to 12 pandals in South and North Kolkata. We will talk to the people coming there about our demands and the movement. We will distribute pamphlets and talk to people. Our demands are only to increase security in hospitals. are not limited to hospitals, but also include strengthening the infrastructure of government hospitals, which will benefit the common citizens.”
