The West Bengal government has invited doctors protesting over the rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College for a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at 6 pm today. A letter by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant suggested that the delegation of doctors meeting the Chief Minister comprise 12-15 members.
Earlier, the protesting doctors had said they were open to a meeting with the Chief Minister. The doctors have been protesting outside Swasthya Bhawan, the state health secretariat. Their demands include action against those guilty in the August 9 rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor, those involved in an alleged cover-up, and the resignation of top officials, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner and Health Secretary.
Doctor Aniket Mandal, a representative of the doctors, said they have come to know from media reports that the Chief Minister is ready to meet them. “To clarify this, we will send a mail to the CM’s office and put forward our demands. We want to talk to the Chief Minister,” he told NDTV.
Today is the 33rd day of the Kolkata doctors’ protest over the rape-murder incident that has shaken the country. In the aftermath of the incident, allegations of massive corruption within the state healthcare apparatus have emerged. Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College, has been arrested by the CBI in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the hospital.
The protesting doctors are demanding the removal of top officials of the state health department, including health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam.
Earlier, the state government said it had written to the protesters and invited them for a meeting at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’ to find a way out of the impasse. But the doctors said the mail for the meeting was from the state health secretary, whose resignation they are seeking. They termed this “insulting” and objected to the state government restricting the number of protesters attending the meeting to 10.
The doctors are defying the Supreme Court’s directive to return to duty by 5 pm on September 10. The court had asked the doctors to rejoin duty and asked the state government to not take any action against them.
But the doctors have said they would not rejoin work till their demands are met. They have put up sheds, arranged fans and food and water, indicating that they have no plans to back off till their demands are met.
Besides the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal and top health officials, the doctors are demanding safe working conditions for healthcare staff in the state’s hospitals.
The protests in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal have erupted after a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was found raped and murdered in a seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. One person has been arrested in this connection and the CBI is investigating the matter.
