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West Bengal, India
Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctors on Thursday alleged ‘external pressure’ as fans and tents were removed from their protest site
As the protest in front of Swasthya Bhawan, the West Bengal health department’s headquarters in Kolkata, intensified, junior doctors alleged that "external pressure" forced the decorators to remove tens, fans, and bamboo sticks from their protest site.
Effort to 'demoralise' protesters
The protesters alleged that it was a move to "demoralise" them and weaken their morale.
“It could be an effort to demoralise us,” said a junior doctor, “but we would like to clearly say that for a protest, we don’t need all this. We can protest from anywhere and in any possible way.”
The protest outside Swasthya Bhawan began on September 10. After meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the doctors expressed "partial" satisfaction with the outcome and requested further discussions.
The protest was triggered after a junior female doctor was brutally raped and murdered last month in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical Hospital and College.
The junior doctors announced their decision to continue the protest and cease work after a six-hour meeting with government officials on Wednesday night.
Debashish Haldar, a prominent figure in the protest, said, “While we appreciate the government’s verbal commitments, we remain hopeful for a written directive that formally acknowledges our demands. Until then, we will maintain our current course of action.”
Watch | Kolkata rape-murder case: Second round of talks inconclusive
The Chief Secretary requested the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) to submit the particulars of four to five junior doctors as representatives in the proposed Special Task Force for further discussions. He further reiterated the government’s appeal for the doctors to immediately resume work.
(With inputs from agencies)