Police personnel stand guard near the site where junior doctors are sitting on a hunger strike in protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic at the RG Kar Medical Collage and Hospital, in Kolkata, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The ongoing tussle between West Bengal government and protesting junior doctors on Thursday (October 10, 2024) spilled on the streets of Kolkata with people protesting against the rape and murder of doctor at R.G. Kar trying to storm different Durga puja pandals.
Raising slogans and posters demanding justice, a group of people tried to storm inside a Durga puja pandal in the College Square area in the city. Hundreds of people raising slogans and posters marched across College Street and Ganesh Chandra Avenue visiting one Durga puja pandal after another. The protesters said that they were participating in “Abhaya Parikrama (Procession for Abhaya)” seeking justice for the deceased doctors. The police tried to stop the protesters by putting up barricades which were breached by common people.
The development comes a day after Kolkata Police arrested nine persons for organising similar protests outside a Durga puja pandal in south Kolkata. Those arrested were produced before a court at Alipore and were remanded to seven day police day. The Kolkata Police has booked the protesters under non- bailable sections. A crowd had also gathered outside the Court and raised slogans in support of those arrested. The protests by common people are spilling on the streets when the Durga puja festivities are at its peak and large crowds have descended in the city to go around puja pandals.
Meanwhile, the fast unto death by nine junior doctors entered the fifth day on Thursday (October 10, 2024). The health parameters of junior doctors who have been on hunger strike for more than 100 hours continued to deteriorate. On Thursday evening, a team of doctors from the State Health Department checked on the protesters who are on fast unto death. Out of nine junior doctors who are on hunger strike, seven are protesting at Esplanade and two in north Bengal.
The Kolkata Police has issued notice to doctors on hunger strike to call off the protests. On Wednesday night, a delegation of West Bengal Junior Doctors Front met senior officials of West Bengal government including State’s Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar pant. The talks that went well past midnight remained inconclusive. According to protesting doctors nothing more was offered to them other than what was announced by the Chief Secretary at a press conference on Monday. Mr. Pant described the talks as “positive and constructive”.
The junior doctors went on to cease work following the rape-murder of a fellow doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following a meeting by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and assurances from the State government to look into their demands. The State government had issued a set of directives to augment safety and security of hospitals in the State.
Senior doctors across various State-run health facilities have come in support of junior doctors. Hundreds of senior doctors have offered mass resignation in support of junior doctors. Though the resignations are largely symbolic on Thursday a section of senior doctors sat on a 12-hour-long protest in support of junior doctors on hunger strike. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (October 10, 2024) Federation of Medical Organisations said that if any casualty happens among the junior doctors who are fasting unto death, all doctors and medical community of West Bengal will go on ‘complete medical cease-work’.
Published – October 10, 2024 10:19 pm IST