RG Kar rape-murder: Protesting junior doctors begin fast unto death
Junior doctors in Kolkata began their fast unto death on Saturday evening, as they accused the West Bengal government of inaction over their demands.
The medics have been protesting demanding justice to the 31-year-old doctor who was raped and murdered inside Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
On Friday, the doctors began their sit-in protest at Dorina Crossing in Kolkata’s Dharmatala and set a 24-hour deadline for the Bengal government to fulfil their demands. They had ended their 42-day agitation on September 21 after long negotiations with the state government.
“The state government has failed the deadline and hence we are starting the fast unto death, which will continue till our demands are fulfilled. To maintain transparency, we have installed CCTV cameras at the dais where our colleagues are holding the fast,” a junior doctor told news agency PTI.
Doctors said they have resumed duties but will not eat ‘anything’. They added that six among them have begun fasting unto death. They said the TMC government should be held responsible if something happens to the doctors.
The six doctors were identified – Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, SSKM’s Arnab Mukhopadhyay, Pulastha Acharya of NRS Medical College and Hospital, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra of KPC Medical College.
Doctors allege disruption
The doctors alleged that the police denied permission to set up a dais at the protest site and also lathi-charged peaceful protesters. However, Kolkata police said that the area witnesses heavy traffic flow and also asked for a complaint against police personnel involved in lathi-charge.
Doctor’s demands
Among their nine demands, the most contentious is the removal of health secretary NS Nigam. The other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
The woman was found dead inside the seminar hall of the state-run hospital on August 9. The CBI is probing the case.