SC tells doctors to resume work by 5 pm today; medic’s body yet to take final call

Kolkata: Even as the Supreme Court on Monday urged the protesting junior doctors in Bengal to return to work, the latter decided to continue with cease-work until 5 pm on Tuesday and thereafter take a decision based on the fulfilment of their demands by the state government.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud directed the protesting doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday and assured them that there will be no adverse action if they resumed duty. The court said the protesting doctors cannot be oblivious to the needs of the general community.

On Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee again urged the agitating junior doctors to resume work. Banerjee said that she was ready to take part in a discussion with the representatives of the junior doctors.

“I would request the junior doctors to return to work. If you think that you have any points to make, you are always welcome. You can come with a 5-10 members delegation, I am ready to talk,” Banerjee said during an administrative meeting at Nabanna. She also reminded that the state government has accepted all the demands of the agitating junior doctors. She reiterated the state government’s commitment to take all measures for the safety and security of the doctors and said that she believes that things can be resolved through talks in a peaceful manner.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front which represents the agitating junior doctors, late on Monday evening said that their ‘cease work’ protest will continue till 5 pm on Tuesday after which a decision will be made based on the fulfilment of their demands submitted to the state government.

They demanded appropriate legal action against all possible culprits involved in the rape and murder on August 9 as well as against those involved in the alleged tampering of evidence.

They have also demanded that police officers involved in the probe be investigated.

Representatives of the Front said the way the state government’s counsel Kapil Sibal portrayed the disruption of health services in Bengal’s medical colleges in the Supreme Court, was false. They claimed that health services were not hampered due to the junior doctors’ strike since their number in government medical colleges is minuscule and the state should not entirely depend upon the junior doctors to deliver health services in their entirety.

Junior doctors announced a Swasthya Bhawan march on Tuesday demanding the resignation of Director of Medical Education, Dr Kaustav Nayek and Health Secretary, NS Nigam.

Meanwhile, the Joint Platform of Doctors (West Bengal) demanded an unconditional apology from Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee for his claim that a young accident victim had died because doctors were busy protesting.

Earlier in the day, the Apex Court had observed that “protests cannot be at the cost of duty”.

The Apex Court also voiced concern over the absence of the ‘dead-body challan’, a key document that was needed for the autopsy while flagging a ‘14-hour delay’ by Kolkata Police in registering an FIR in rape and murder incident.

“The state of West Bengal must take steps to create confidence in the minds of the doctors that their concerns regarding their safety and security are being duly attended to. In order to ensure this, all the district collectors and SPs (superintendents of police) shall take stock of the situation in all government medical colleges and public hospitals and provide adequate safety,” the court said.

Representing the West Bengal government, senior advocate Kapil Sibal submitted that 23 people have died in the state due to the doctors’ strike.“A status report has been filed. The state health department has filed a report. Twenty-three people have died as doctors are on strike,” Sibal told the bench. He added no permission or route map is being sought by the protesting doctors.

Terming the rape and killing “horrific”, the court had excoriated the West Bengal government over the delay in filing an FIR in connection with the incident and allowing thousands of people to vandalise the state-run hospital. The Supreme Court directed the CBI to submit a fresh report by September 17 on the probe in the case.

The alleged rape and killing of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the hospital has sparked nationwide protests. The medic’s body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital’s chest department on August 9. A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police was arrested in connection with the incident the following day.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.