On Thursday, the protest of junior doctors against the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case continued for the 33rd. For the last three days, junior doctors have been protesting outside the Health Bhawan, the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake. During this, slogans are being raised continuously against the state government. Junior doctors tried to enter the Health Bhawan symbolically, but they were not allowed to enter, after which they sat on the roads.
Meanwhile, the state government had called them to the state secretariat Navanna for discussion at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, but the doctors refused to go, calling the language of the state government’s e-mail insulting. On Wednesday, once again the state government called the junior doctors to the secretariat for discussion at 6:00 pm with 12 to 15 representatives, but they once again refused to go, insisting to have a meeting on their terms.
The doctors sent a reply email and put forward their four main demands, which included the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the meeting and live telecast of the meeting. The main demands of the doctors during the meeting were not on ending the strike but on the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, State Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam and State Health Education Director. Along with this, the doctors have demanded to identify the culprits of Abhaya and ensure their punishment and to ensure a fear-free democratic environment at the workplace.
On Wednesday night, Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar held a press conference and said that the doctors should have come for talks with an open mind but they did not come. Chandrima said that there is a political motive behind this protest and the state government will not back down from taking action now. The doctors held a press conference and made it clear that the meeting would be held on their terms only. The doctors also said that there is no politics in their movement. Apart from this, senior doctors have also warned the state government that if any action is taken against even a single junior doctor, they will stop the entire OPD service.
Since Thursday morning, doctors have been sitting on the streets and raising slogans again. They have made it clear that they want Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as their guardian in the meeting.
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