Hours after her dramatic visit to the site where junior doctors were protesting against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital to appeal that they resume work, and a fresh invitation from the government, a meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a 30-strong delegation of the protesters began at her residence on Saturday evening. Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya and Principal Secretary, Health, Narayan Swarup Nigam were also present at the meeting.
The bus carrying the delegation of junior doctors reached the Chief Minister’s residence at Kalighat in south Kolkata at 6.40 p.m. – 40 minutes after the scheduled time of 6 p.m. All the 30 members of the delegation were allowed entry to the Chief Minister’s residence although the email invitation sent earlier by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF) had capped the size of the delegation at 15.
Accepting the invitation for talks, the junior doctors, however, argued that it was impossible to limit the delegation number below 30 since one representative from each of the 26 medical colleges in the state would have to be accommodated in the delegation. “A delegation of 30 representatives will be going there. Our agenda is to discuss the five points which we are demanding,” said a protesting junior doctor. One of their major demands is the suspension of the Health Secretary, the Director of Health Services and the Director of Medical Education. However, the doctors did not make it clear whether they will continue to insist on a live telecast of the meeting, but stick to the demand for transparency. On Saturday morning, the Chief Minister suddenly reached the spot of the sit-in demonstration by doctors and promised to consider their demands in a gradual manner provided the protesting doctors go back to their duties.
Greeted with the slogan “We want Justice” as she reached the protest venue accompanied by the state Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Banerjee had to wait for the slogan-shouting to abate so she could speak. Addressing them for five minutes, she said that she had come there as their “Didi” (sister), not the Chief Minister, in her last attempt to enter into “constructive dialogues” with the protesters. “Despite security issues, I have personally come here. I have come here not as the Chief Minister. I salute your protests. I am myself a product of the students’ movement. Last night, there was torrential rain. I feel sad about the manner you have been protesting for the last many days. Even I could not sleep,” she said. Claiming that she will try to consider the demands of the protesting junior doctors provided they rejoin duty, the Chief Minister said: “I will request CBI to ensure capital punishment for the guilty within the next three months. On my part, I will also take action against those who are guilty. I have come here just to say this,” she said.
“Remember, the next hearing at the Supreme Court is on September 17. I will not take any action against you. Please give me some time,” she said. In their immediate reaction, the protesting doctors said that while they welcomed the gesture of the Chief Minister, they were sticking to their demands on the issue. “The Chief Minister has invited us for discussion. Even we are ready for the discussion with open minds,” a protesting junior doctor said. The earlier meeting on Thursday convened at the state secretariat Nabanna failed as the state government refused to accept the junior doctors’ demand for the live telecast of the proceedings.
A delegation of 30 junior doctors reached the Secretariat but had to go back without any meeting. Meanwhile, the mother of the victim has claimed that she even wants a solution to the impasse, but after ensuring justice for her daughter. “The Chief Minister has claimed that anyone who is found guilty will be punished. There are many who are guilty. I want all of them to be punished,” she demanded.
–IANS
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