The junior doctors on Sunday in Kolkata maintained their protest and declined an offer of tea from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Their ongoing demonstration is aimed at seeking justice for a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor who was tragically raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The doctors have insisted that they will only accept the tea if their demands for justice are met.
Dr. Aqeeb, who was part of the delegation that met Banerjee at her residence, confirmed that the Chief Minister had invited them for tea. In an interview with ANI, Dr. Aqeeb explained, “We were asked to come to Kalighat for an official dialogue, which we agreed to, even conceding our request for the meeting to be broadcast live.”
He continued, “The Chief Minister stepped out and invited us for a meeting over tea, but we told her we would only have the tea if justice was served. We also later gave up our demand for a recording of the meeting and only requested minutes of the discussion. However, we were informed that there was a delay and nothing could be done at that time.”
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | Dr Aqeeb, who was part of the delegation that went to meet CM Mamata Banerjee, says, “…We were asked to come for an official dialogue at Kalighat, we went there – when we went there, we even compromised with our demand that the meeting be live… pic.twitter.com/0Iivi7vhUK
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2024
The previous day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a police officer and the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, Sandip Ghosh, on charges of delaying the FIR and allegedly tampering with evidence. Dr. Aqeeb described the arrest of Ghosh as an affirmation of their demands, stating, “Sandip Ghosh’s actions amount to an institutional crime. We want all involved individuals to resign.” He also recounted a prior meeting with Banerjee that ended without resolution, as the government refused to record the discussion, leading the doctors to exit without an agreement.
#WATCH | RG Kar Medical College & Hospital rape-murder incident | Junior doctors continue their protest for the fifth consecutive night at Swasthya Bhawan, in the Salt Lake area of West Bengal’s Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/m3AtnhtkCY
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2024
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Since Tuesday, the junior doctors have been staging a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, demanding enhanced security at state-run hospitals and the removal of senior officials in response to the horrific incident at RG Kar hospital. While Banerjee proposed recording the meeting, she insisted on government control over the recording, a condition rejected by the doctors. The Chief Minister had encouraged the protesting doctors to join the negotiations at her residence, but the protest continued as demands for transparency remained unmet.
