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RG Kar case: Junior doctors ‘beaten’; BJP says situation ‘deeply troubling’
Agitating junior doctors alleged that the police lathi-charged a few of them during a rally to press for justice in the RG Kar case.
Junior doctors in West Bengal accused police of assault during a rally to demand justice for a deceased colleague from RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. The demonstrators, who began a sit-in at Dharmatala in central Kolkata, claimed they were peacefully protesting when a few of their peers were beaten by police.
"Two of our colleagues waiting near a road were beaten up by the police. We had permission to hold a press conference here. We protest this attitude and demand an apology, failing which we will continue our demonstration," one of the junior doctors said.
Also Read | CBI arrests Ashish Pandey in Bengal’s RG Kar Hospital irregularities case
Sharing a video on X, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed that the West Bengal Police "brutally assaulted" the protesting doctors.
“The situation in West Bengal is deeply troubling,” Malviya posted on X.
“The PGT doctors were kicked around by men, who claimed to be Police, but were not in uniform…Mamata Banerjee’s high handedness will be held to account for any unfortunate incident that occurs during Durga Puja,” he added.
HT couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The renewed unrest follows an earlier 42-day strike that began in August after the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital. The strike ended on September 21 after negotiations with state officials, but resumed on October 1 after another attack on doctors by a patient’s family at a different state-run hospital.
Also Read | Kolkata man arrested for threatening doctor at RG Kar hospital
The junior medics held a rally from the SSKM Hospital in the city's Bhowanipore area to Dharmatala.
Junior docs call off 'total cease work'
Meanwhile, the junior doctors called off their 'total cease work' at state-run medical colleges and hospitals but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours.
"We are calling off our 'total cease work'. But we will continue our sit-in protest. We will give the state administration 24 hours to fulfill our demands or else we will start a hunger strike till death," an agitating doctor, Debasish Halder of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, said.
