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Bengal doctors defy SC deadline, continue stir
Junior doctors in West Bengal defied a Supreme Court deadline, protesting for safety and demanding resignations of top officials amid ongoing strikes.
Junior doctors in state-run hospitals across West Bengal on Tuesday defied a Supreme Court-mandated deadline to return to work, instead upping the ante by taking their protest to the doorstep of the state health ministry by organising a sit-in and demanding the resignation of a string of top officials.
The striking medics said they were disappointed with the order of the Supreme Court, which on Monday had reiterated the need for doctors to balance their duty towards the public with their legitimate concerns about safety.
The doctors marched from Karunamoyee to Swasthya Bhavanand sat outside the Swathya Bhavan in Salt Lake after being stopped by the police.
“We have given a deadline to the state government till 5 pm on Tuesday to meet our demands. The cease work will continue till the government meets our demands. So, whether the cease work will continue or not depends on the government,” said a protesting doctor.
The junior doctors -- who have boycotted work since August 9 over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital -- demanded the resignation of the city police commissioner, health secretary, director of health education and director of medical education, and justice for the victim, among others.
“We have a set of five demands including resignation of some top officials such as Director of Health Services (DHS), Director of Medical Education (DME), health secretary and police commissioner. The demand for resignation of DHS, DME and state health secretary are new. We have also demanded increased security in hospital campus with CCTV coverage, a democratic environment and forming students union,” said Aniket Mahata, a protesting doctor.
“The corruption which has crept into our health system need to be cleaned. We will continue with our sit and cease work unless our demands are met,” Kinjal Nanda, a protesting doctor, told the media.
Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister health minister, told the media that the state government invited the striking medics to hold talks after the 5pm deadline, set by the apex court, lapsed, and chief minister Mamata Banerjee waited for the doctors at her chamber in the state secretariat.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee waited till 5pm for the doctors as per the Supreme Court deadline. At 6:10pm an email was sent by the state health secretary to the striking doctors to send a 10-member team so that they can hold talks with top officials of the state government. The chief minister waited till 7:30pm in her chamber. There was, however, no response from the junior doctors. The chief minister then left the state secretariat,” Bhattacharya, told the media.
Asked whether the state heath department was contemplating any action against the medics, she said: “I can’t say as of now. You will come to know.”
However, the agitating doctors denied receiving a communication from the state government. “We have not received any email from the state secretariat. We received an email from the state health secretary. If the administration was willing to hold talks, they would have approached us in a much more down-to-earth and sensitive manner. We are also ready for talks. But the way they are inviting us is very insulting. Our peaceful protest and sit-in will continue,” a protesting doctor told the media during a press meet on Tuesday evening.
RG Kar has sent a notice to 51 doctors over allegations of promoting a culture of intimidation in the hospital premises
The body of a second-year postgraduate student, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on August 9. The crime took place at the third-floor seminar hall of the chest department late at night and police later said that multiple lacerations and wounds were found on her body.
A 31-year-old civic volunteer with the police, Sanjay Roy, was arrested the next day in connection with the case and was sent to 14-day police custody. But by then, the crime had left Kolkata stunned and prompted sweeping protests by doctors who struck work and women’s groups demanding safety.
The investigation was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation even as protests rocked Kolkata. Doctors have been on strike since — who have boycotted work since August 9 over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, demanding resignation of the police commissioner among others.
On Monday, a top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud had emphasised that no punitive action would be taken against the doctors if they returned to work, but warned that continued absenteeism could result in disciplinary proceedings under relevant regulations. The apex court set a deadline of 5pm on Tuesday for the strike to end
During the hearing, the state government said that despite the top court’s appeal to the doctors to resume duties, most of them were still abstaining from work, and that their absenteeism has so far cost 23 lives. Protests were spreading across the state, some without prior permission, adding further strain to the already fragile situation, the state had added.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also requested junior doctors on Monday to return to duty shortly after the top court hearing. “The Supreme Court has asked the doctors to join duty. I also make the same request. If you want to say something you are always welcome. Form a team of 5 or 10 people and meet me,” Banerjee had said. The court had passed the direction after the West Bengal government assured it that no action, including punitive transfers, shall be taken against the protesting doctors if they resume work.
But the doctors indicated that their agitation will not stop.
A few hundred junior doctors marched from Karunamoyee to Swasthya Bhavan, covering a distance of around 2km. They carried brooms and replicas of a human brain and eye. Police set up barricades with iron guardrails to stop the rally around 100m ahead of Swasthya Bhavan. The protestors sat on the road, shouting slogans, without breaking the barricades.
“We are ready to hold talks with junior doctors. Let them come and meet us,” said a top official of the state health department.
Last week, the striking doctors organised a similar rally to Lal Bazar, headquarters of Kolkata Police, demanding the resignation of city police chief. The 22-hour sit-in ended after a delegation of doctors were allowed to meet the police commissioner and they submitted a deputation to him demanding his resignation.
