Lagatar24 Desk
KOLKATA: In a major escalation, over 45 senior doctors and faculty members from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital resigned on Tuesday, expressing support for their junior colleagues, who have been protesting against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the hospital premises in August this year.
The senior doctors submitted their resignation letters, stating that the administration and government had failed to meet the demands of the junior doctors or show significant progress in the investigation surrounding the rape and murder case.
“No Development in Probe”
The senior doctors voiced their frustration at the lack of movement in the case and called upon the hospital administration to reconcile with the junior doctors, who have been on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding justice. They emphasized the deteriorating health of the protesters, urging the government to intervene before the situation worsens further.
In their resignation letter, the senior doctors stated, “The health of the protesting doctors on hunger strike is declining rapidly. We urge the government to reconcile with these doctors and resolve the situation before it escalates. We are submitting our resignations as a show of solidarity.”
They added that if no action is taken soon, more resignations would follow, with individual resignations being a possibility as well.
Support from the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD)
The Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), another organization representing doctors in West Bengal, also issued a statement supporting the protesting junior doctors. Punyabrata Gun and Hiralal Konar, joint convenors of JPD, expressed their concerns over the lack of response from the authorities and voiced their support for the protesting medical staff.
In their statement, they said, “Many senior doctors in government service have expressed their intent to resign en masse in light of the ongoing ‘Justice for Abhaya’ movement and the fight against the corruption-threat syndicate. The junior doctors have been on a hunger strike for the last five days, and yet there has been no response from the government.”
Symbolic Hunger Strike by Senior Doctors
In addition to the mass resignation, 15 senior doctors joined the junior doctors in solidarity by staging a symbolic hunger strike as the protest continued into the fourth consecutive day during the Durga Puja festivities.
The junior doctors have been protesting to demand justice for the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor, referred to as Abhaya, whose death has sparked outrage across West Bengal. The ongoing hunger strike and the mass resignations have intensified pressure on the government to address the demands for justice and improve security at the hospital.
As the protest continues, the junior doctors remain resolute in their demand for immediate action from the government to ensure justice for their fallen colleague and safeguard the working conditions of healthcare professionals in the state.
