Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: Junior doctors in Bengal, outraged over the rape and murder of a fellow doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, have intensified their protest, defying a Supreme Court order to return to work by 5 PM on Tuesday. The doctors have issued a counter-demand to the state government, setting a deadline of 5 PM today to meet their list of demands. If unmet, they plan to stage a sit-down protest outside the health secretariat.
In a bold move, hundreds of doctors have started marching towards Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department’s headquarters in Salt Lake, on the outskirts of Kolkata. Authorities have erected barricades and deployed a large police contingent to prevent the protesters from reaching the building.
Key Demands
The junior doctors have put forward a five-point demand, which includes the resignation of several key figures, starting with Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. They are also calling for the resignation of senior officials in the health ministry, among others.
This development has set the protesting doctors on a collision course with the state government. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed her preference for resolving the issue through dialogue, stating that she is not inclined to take disciplinary action against the doctors for now.
Government vs. Doctors
The state government claims that patient care has been severely impacted by the month-long protest, with 23 deaths reported during this period. The junior doctors, however, have strongly denied this accusation, calling it an attempt to undermine their protest.
“There are 93,000 registered doctors in Bengal, and we are only 7,500. To claim that the healthcare system has collapsed due to our strike is a blatant falsehood,” said one of the protesting doctors.
Supreme Court Deadline
The Supreme Court, in a hearing on Monday led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, had directed the protesting doctors to resume work by 5 PM on Tuesday. The court warned that failure to comply would authorize the state government to initiate disciplinary action. Despite this directive, the junior doctors have remained resolute in their protest.
At a press conference on Monday evening, the doctors made it clear they had no intention of backing down, setting the stage for continued unrest in Bengal’s healthcare sector.
The protest began after the shocking rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August, and the junior doctors have vowed to continue their agitation until justice is served. With barricades in place and police on high alert, tensions are expected to escalate as the doctors march towards the health secretariat.
