Junior docs withdraw sit-in after 22-member delegation meets CP
Kolkata: The sit-in-protest of the junior doctors, under the banner of West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, was withdrawn on Tuesday evening after police agreed to allow the rally of the junior doctors to move ahead while a delegation met the Commissioner of Police (CP), Kolkata Vineet Kumar Goyal.
While returning from the Lalbazar, one of the junior doctors from the delegation said: “We have handed over the deputation copy. The points have been discussed. Furthermore, the points were discussed and CP admitted the failure of police in the incident of August 12 and 14 along with the incident of evidence tampering. However, we told the CP that he should resign from his post taking the liability. But CP said that he is happy with his work. However, if his higher authority considers that his resignation is necessary then CP will resign.”
Another junior doctor claimed that when CP was asked about why the police failed to deal with the incidents of August 9,12 and 14, no satisfactory answer was provided.
This apart, the junior doctors said that they have not allowed any political involvement in their protest and will stick to the same in future.
Hundreds of junior doctors from various state-run hospitals who took part in the ‘Lalbazar Abhijan’ (march to Lalbazar) on Monday to demand the resignation of CP Kolkata were stopped at the crossing of Fierce Lane, much ahead of Lalbazar. Meanwhile, taking precautionary measures, Kolkata Police had set up several barricades upto the height of about nine feet to stop the junior doctors from marching towards the Kolkata Police headquarters while a large contingent of police, including RAF and senior officials behind the barricades.
After the rally was stopped, students demanded that the police must allow the rally to reach the crossing of Bentinck Street from where a delegation would meet the CP and hand over a deputation demanding his resignation. When senior police officers told the junior doctors that the rally would not be allowed to move on, the doctors demanded that CP would have to come to the spot
to meet them.
As police did not agree to fulfil any of the demands, the junior doctors continued their sit-in in protest at the spot till Tuesday afternoon.
After almost 22 hours since Monday, police accepted the demand of the junior doctors and removed the barricades. Later cops allowed the rally to move towards Lalbazar by about 100 meters following which a 22-member delegation team met the CP and handed over a deputation along with an artificial spine as a mark of protest.
