Junior doctors continue hunger strike as talks with Chief Secy remain inconclusive
Kolkata: On the same day that junior doctors held a rally from Esplanade to Raj Bhavan, protesting the “slow pace” of the CBI investigation into the RG Kar Hospital incident, senior doctors from eight organisations met with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant at Swasthya Bhawan for a fresh round of talks to resolve the deadlock.
However, the meeting ended “inconclusively,” as the senior doctors continued to stand in solidarity with the junior doctors’ movement.
According to sources, the Chief Secretary (CS) told the representatives of various doctors organisations that 7 out of the 10-point demands of the junior doctors have been accepted by the state government.
Work was going on in a fill swing to fulfil the remaining three demands, he said. He once again urged the junior doctors to withdraw their hunger strike.
“It was not possible to give a timeline for fulfilling the remaining demands but the government couldn’t mention the specific time. We have again appealed to the junior doctors to call off their hunger strike. The remaining works were going on,” Pant told the media after the meeting.
“We are concerned with the health condition of the junior doctors who are taking part in the hunger strike. You please call off the strike. Your health is deteriorating,” CS also appealed to the junior doctors.
The deletion of senior doctors said that the state government had failed to give any positive assurances so the junior doctors would not withdraw from their hunger strike.
Junior doctors on the other hand failed to hold a discussion with the Governor but they managed to submit the memorandum.
“We have organised this march because we believe the CBI has not performed its duties so far”, said a junior doctor.
Junior doctors carried out a Raj Bhawan march expressing unhappiness over the CBI investigation so far.
“We cannot accept what the CBI has stated in its charge sheet: only one person was behind the crime. We demand a quick and transparent investigation of the rape and murder of our sister at RG Kar Hospital,” said a junior doctor.
A delegation from the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front submitted a memorandum to the Governor CV Ananda Bose. However, no discussion took place between the Governor and the delegation.
The Raj Bhawan in a press statement said that Bose received the memorandum and he has taken up the matter with the relevant authorities for immediate action.
The RG Kar case is currently being probed by the CBI under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. In its first chargesheet, the CBI has named Sanjoy Roy as the main accused.
The junior doctors are continuing a hunger strike to meet their 10-point agenda including the removal of health secretary NS Nigam who was not present at the meeting. Senior doctors who took part in the meeting also placed the juniors’ demand for the health secretary’s removal.
Incidentally, after the CS in a letter on Sunday had appealed to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and several other doctors’ organisations to take part in Monday’s meeting, representatives from various organisations held a discussion with the CS and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty.
The Apex Court had also written to the Joint Platform of Doctors urging to withdraw their symbolic ‘protest carnival’ called on Tuesday on Rani Rashmoni road in demand for justice for the RG Kar victim that coincided with the Mega Durga Puja carnival on Red Road.
The senior doctors from various organisations who met the CS at Swasthya Bhawan said that the protest carnival will take place and they requested him and the Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to take part in the ‘protest carnival’.
The junior doctors have called for a human chain protest in Kolkata on Tuesday, coinciding with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s hosting of the annual Durga Puja carnival on Red Road.
The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), on Monday, paused its nationwide shutdown of elective services after the West Bengal government called an urgent meeting to discuss the demands of protesting doctors.
Calling the emergency meeting by the CS a result of pressure mounted by FAIMA and the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The ‘fast-unto-death’ by junior doctors to press for their demands in the wake of the RG Kar hospital incident entered the 10th day on Monday.
Meanwhile, Taniya Panja, another junior doctor from Calcutta Medical College, who was undergoing the fast-unto-death protest fell ill on Monday evening and was admitted to the hospital. Her health was deteriorating, it was learnt.
Her vitals started becoming unstable from Monday afternoon. She remained under observation at the protest site. Panja is one of several junior doctors whose health has worsened since the hunger strike began.
Meanwhile, the Left Front, on Monday, demanded that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “call the agitating junior doctors for a meeting immediately to resolve their demands”.
In an open letter to Banerjee, Left Front chairman Biman Bose urged her to take a humane view of the situation as the indefinite hunger strike by the medics entered its 10th day.
“We demand that as the chief minister of the state, you sit with the junior doctors immediately for a dialogue to resolve their ten-point demands,” Bose wrote.
