KMC likely to issue circular asking staff to abide by on-duty rules

Kolkata: With the doctors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) having set a deadline for the police to apologise to their colleague for “arbitrarily” arresting him and demanding that the civic body lend legal support to them, the civic body is likely to issue circular for staff in connection with on-duty rules and regulations.

Mayor Firhad Hakim is learnt to have held a meeting with the Health department officials on the matter. KMC sources said the mayor held a meeting with the member mayor in council of Health, Atin Ghosh, also the deputy mayor, after the doctors on Wednesday said if the police failed to apologise to Ray in 48 hours they will resort to legal action and the KMC has to lend legal support to them.

However, even as no official reactions were apparent from the mayor on the matter so far, civic body sources said that the civic body is unlikely to lend any support to the KMC doctor concerned since he has allegedly violated rules by wearing the protest badge on-duty.

Sources further said that the doctor may be asked to show cause for the same and the KMC is likely to issue a circular for doctors and other staff asking them to conform to the rules and regulations of the civic body. Atin Ghosh is learnt to have told the media that the doctor had every right to protest or wear a badge supporting the ongoing protest but not while he was on duty.

Dr Tapabrata Ray, the doctor concerned was on emergency duty at the Durga Puja Carnival at Red Road as part of KMC’s medical team when he was detained by the police and taken to Maidan Police Station for allegedly wearing a badge with ‘Pratiki Anashankari’ (observer of symbolic hunger strike) written on it. He was wearing it to express solidarity with the junior doctors who are fasting unto death. Ray was released from the police station four hours later after a group of doctors and others staged a protest there.