Junior doctors in Bengal are protesting over the rape and murder of a colleague last month (File).
Kolkata:
The stand-off between Mamata Banerjee and junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospitalย last month,ย continued Thursday evening, with a delegation of 32 camped outside the state secretariat but refusing to enter and meet the Bengal Chief Minister.
Visuals released by the state showed Ms Banerjee sitting in an almost-empty auditorium with striking blue mats on the floor, and with rows of chairs and tables laid out in a semi-circle before her.
The impasse, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said, was over a demand to live-stream the meeting, which the state has, so far, refused. Two other pre-conditions – that Ms Banerjee be present and that a delegation of 30+ doctors, against the earlier limit of 15, be allowed – have now been accepted, he said.
“We e-mailed the doctors in the afternoon and they came… we allowed all 32 to attend the meeting. But they demand live-streaming… we said this cannot be allowed. We have said we will record it,” he said, adding the doctors then declared they would not come to the meeting till all pre-conditions are met.
The Chief Minister has been waiting since 5 pm, he said, 90 minutes after the scheduled start.
“They have not entered the meeting hall yet… we request them to enter,” he said.
Bengal’s top police officer, Director-General Rajeev Kumar, said the doctors’ demand to live-stream the meeting “seems unreasonable”, and pointed out, “No formal meet is ever streamed live. We (also) have no issue with the number and allowed all 32 to attend as they requested.”
Earlier today the doctors had been invited, for a third time, to meet the state government and negotiate an end to their strike, which is now in its 34th consecutive day. Two invitations this week were rejected.
The first was rejected because it was sent by Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop, whose resignation they have demanded, and the second as the Chief Minister wouldn’t meet them. The second was also rejected because of limits on the doctors’ delegation and refusal to live-stream the meeting.
The third, from the desk of Mr Pant, stressed that the state is “always willing to engage in a dialogue with concerned stakeholders”, and urged the doctors to come to the negotiating table.
Mr Pant, however, underlined, that live-streaming would not be allowed.
The meeting could, he had said, could be recorded, and explained this “will serve the purpose intended from your end while also ensuring all discussions are accurately documented”.
Junior doctors have been holding a sit-in protest outside the state’s Health Department HQ for several days now, even though their senior colleagues have returned to work following a plea by the Supreme Court. They have criticised the state for not meeting to hear their concerns.
The agitating doctors have five core concerns.
The demands include holding to account all those responsible for the rape and murder of their colleague, as well as destruction of evidence, and to take strict disciplinary action against Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former RG Kar Hospital head who has been arrested by the CBI.
The doctors have also demanded the sacking of Kolkata Police chief Vineet Goyal, whose leadership of the force has been heavily criticised, and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop.
The protesting doctors have also asked for adequate security for healthcare workers, particularly the elimination of a ‘threat culture’ they say is rampant in state-run facilities.
In his first letter to the doctors Mr Pant pointed out the doctors had overrun the deadline set by the Supreme Court – to return to work by 5 pm Tuesday. “You will, no doubt, appreciate and agree that, as a law-abiding citizen, it is everyone’s duty to adhere to (the court’s) directions…” he said.
The Supreme Court, which took suo moto cognisance of the RG Kar horror, had left it to the Bengal government to deal with the striking junior doctors. So far, however, Ms Banerjee has not taken any action, undoubtedly aware of the political firestorm to be unleashed if she does.
Both the Chief Minister and the state government are aware that negotiating a peaceful end to this protest will go a long way to neutralising public anger over the woman’s rape and killing.
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