RG Kar protest march: Seniors urge junior docs ‘to resume work’
Kolkata: At a time when several senior doctors are urging their juniors to rejoin work, the latter on Wednesday conducted a mega rally demanding justice for the rape and murder of the junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital while also protesting against the “culture of fear and intimidation within the state’s medical system”.
The mega rally organised by the Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front on Mahalaya began from College Street, set to converge at Esplanade, saw a large turnout of medical practitioners, including common people, demanding justice.
The participants of the non-political rally carried national flags, placards with pictures of freedom fighters, and shouted slogans calling for justice. One of the protestors said that they are not against Puja but are not in the mood for celebrations.
“We will continue protesting on the streets for Abhaya’s justice. Our movement will not stop until justice is served,” a protestor in the rally said.
“We are still facing attacks. There is no positive response from the state government toward meeting our safety and security demands,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating junior doctors. Meanwhile, several senior doctors, although lending their support to the juniors and encouraging them to keep up the fight for justice, also urged them to return to work. “Go back to work. That is what we have appealed to junior doctors and are appealing again,” IMA (National) president R V Asokan reportedly told the media. “The Supreme Court is hearing the case now. We need to trust the institution. Nations are made of institutions and the citizens have to have trust in them,” he said.
Several senior doctors attached with the state-run hospitals have said that while the junior doctors’ movement is justified, they must opt for another form of protest as practically some of their demands will take time to get implemented.
One senior faculty of CNMC said that due to the faulty system, junior doctors are pillars of any medical college or tertiary care hospitals. Even while senior doctors are putting in all efforts, complete absence of junior doctors will hamper patient care services to a certain extent.
Announcing cease-work on Tuesday, the junior medics had said: “Fifty-two days have passed since August 9, yet what have we gained in terms of security? The CCTV cameras, which the state government promotes as the main indicator of safety, have only been installed in a fraction of the necessary locations in colleges over these 50 days”.
On Monday, the junior doctors’ counsel Indira Jaising had claimed in the Supreme Court that the doctors were performing all duties including IPD and OPD as part of essential services. However, in reality, the junior doctors were not providing services at IPDs and OPDs which they had also announced while resuming work after a
hiatus of 42 days.
