Kolkata doctor murder: CM Mamata meets protesting doctors at her residence, urges end to strike
PTC Web Desk: Amid the ongoing protest by junior doctors over the sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met a delegation of the protesting doctors on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee had made a surprise visit to the protest site outside Swasthya Bhavan, the state's health department headquarters, where the doctors have been staging a sit-in since Tuesday.
Despite the rain, the delegation of doctors arrived at Mamata Banerjee's residence in a bus for a scheduled 6 pm meeting. The Chief Minister had invited them during her earlier visit to the protest site, where she had addressed the protesting doctors and assured them that she would look into their demands.
The junior doctors, protesting against the recent sexual assault and murder of their colleague, have a set of demands that include better security at state-run hospitals and the removal of certain top officials they believe to be accountable for the tragic incident.
Mamata Banerjee, addressing the doctors as their "didi" (elder sister), reassured them that she would look into their demands and take action against any guilty parties. "This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis," she said.
Mamata Banerjee expressed her concern for the doctors, who have been braving the elements during their protest, saying, "It rained all night on Friday. The way you are sitting here, I am suffering. I have also not slept night after night for the last 34 days. Because if you are on the road, I also have to stay awake as a guard."
She urged the doctors to end their protest and return to work. The CM assured them that unlike BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, where the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) has been used to dismantle protests, she would not take any action against them. "This is not Uttar Pradesh," she said. "They had implemented ESMA and stopped all sorts of strikes and rallies. But be rest assured, I will not do anything of that sort. I am against taking any action against doctors. I know that you do noble work."
The Chief Minister added that she respected democratic movements and was herself a product of student activism, having gone on a hunger strike for 26 days during the Singur anti-land acquisition movement. She expressed her willingness to resolve the crisis by dissolving patient welfare committees in all state-run hospitals, which was one of the doctors' key demands.
Following Mamata Banerjee's visit to the protest site, the junior doctors welcomed her move and expressed their willingness to hold discussions with full transparency and adequate representation. "We take this as a welcome step towards a smooth discussion and collective clarity of our five-point demands for which we have been protesting peacefully for the last 35 days," said a representative of the protesting doctors.
The meeting came just two days after a prior attempt to resolve the issue had failed. Mamata Banerjee had waited for two hours at the state secretariat, Nabanna, for a meeting with the agitating doctors, but the meeting was called off after the state government refused the protesters’ request to livestream the discussions. During that occasion, Mamata Banerjee had said that she was even "ready to relinquish her chair for the sake of the people."
- With inputs from agencies
