In a continuing protest over the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, a group of junior doctors has refused to participate in talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The protestors demanded that the meeting be live-streamed for transparency, a request the state government denied.
On Thursday, around 30 doctors arrived at the state secretariat, Nabanna, exceeding the government’s 15-member limit for the meeting. Despite being invited for talks with the Chief Minister, the doctors stood firm on their stance, refusing to enter unless their demands were met. They remained outside the venue for over an hour, engaged in their own discussions, while Chief Minister Banerjee waited for their participation.
The government, citing that the RG Kar case is sub-judice, informed the doctors through Chief Secretary Manoj Pant that live-streaming was not possible. However, officials offered to record the meeting and share the footage with permission from the Supreme Court.
Pant expressed the government’s efforts to accommodate the doctors’ concerns. “We assured them that the meeting would be recorded for documentation purposes. The Chief Minister has been waiting for an hour and a half. We urge the doctors to reconsider and attend the meeting,” he said.
Earlier, the state government had invited the protesting doctors to a meeting, agreeing to the presence of Chief Minister Banerjee but rejecting the demand for a live telecast. The government also limited the number of attendees to 15, which the doctors opposed, requesting a delegation of 30 members.
The protest follows the tragic incident of the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor, sparking outrage and demands for action from the medical community. The doctors are currently staging a sit-in near Swasthya Bhawan, seeking justice and transparency in the investigation.
