Kolkata Municipal Corporation docs demand police apology in 48 hrs for colleague’s arrest

Kolkata: Demanding that the police apologise in 48 hours for arresting one of their fellow doctors, the medics of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) registered their protest on Wednesday during a meeting with the civic body’s Health department officials.

Despite the KMC being presently closed for Puja vacations, officials of the Health department came to the headquarters as the KMC doctors called for a meeting over the arrest of their colleague, Dr Tapabrata Ray on Tuesday.

The KMC doctors 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.

Ray 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. Ray alleged he was taken away by the cops while his mobile phone too was seized. He alleged that no reason was given to him for such an action and he was reportedly made to sign an arrest warrant while being released.

He said he was on a symbolic fast as a response to the call by Indian Medical Association (IMA) and believes that wearing the badge was the reason for his harassment.

The IMA had called for a nationwide hunger strike on October 15 in solidarity with the junior doctors in West Bengal who are protesting against the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.