Why dump RG Kar garbage on us: Uncomfortable posers from agitating CNMCH doctors, interns
Times of India | 14 August 2024
Swarnakamal Saha and Javed Khan speak to the agitating students and doctors at CNMCH on Tuesday. KOLKATA: Two senior legislators of the Trinamool Congress faced the ire of agitating doctors when they visited the Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC) on Tuesday morning, pleading with them to allow Sandip Ghosh to assume the charge of the principal. The agitating doctors and interns made it clear to the Trinamool netas that they would continue with their stir till the govt ceased its attempt to dump the “R G Kar garbage on CNMC.”
Around 10 am on Tuesday, Trinamool MLA from Entally, Swarnakamal Saha, and state minister and Kasba MLA, Javed Khan, arrived at CNMC’s administrative block on Gorachand Road and faced the wrath of the agitating doctors and interns who surrounded them, shouting “go back” slogan.
While the two netas were forced to leave the CNMCH campus, one of the agitating doctors, Diyasha Maitra, told them: “We will not let our medical college become like R G Kar. We have started our sit-in protest, which we will continue indefinitely. We will protest for 24/7 and will not leave the door in front of the principal’s office for a moment. Sending Sandip Ghosh here could compromise our safety.”
Saha told the agitating students and doctors, “It’s not that your voices won’t be heard. I have come here to listen to you.” Following this assurance, the slogans stopped, and their discussions began with the two netas.
Both Khan and Saha listened to the grievances of the agitating students and doctors and also assured them that they would convey their objections and anguish against Ghosh to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Khan told TOI: “The students apprised me and Saha of their charter of demands that include withdrawal of Ghosh’s transfer to the CNMC, apology from health department and police for calling the R G Kar PGT doctor’s death a suicide. We told them that their demands would be conveyed to the CM. I have also requested the doctors to ensure that the services for patients don’t get hampered.”
Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar Ray, former principal of the CNMC, also visited the campus but the agitators allowed him entry without showing any protest. On Monday evening, Ray was transferred to the health department as an OSD. Ray will continue as the CNMC principal, the state said on Tuesday. He was removed from CNMC to the Swasthya Bhawan as an OSD to make way for Ghosh as the principal.
Ankush Ghosh, a doctor of the CNMCH, said, “The two Trinamool netas came to meet us for negotiation but we refused them. Ghosh has proved his failure as a principal at R G Kar and we will never open the gate of CNMCH to him. Four days have passed but there is no progress of investigation in the rape and murder of the woman doctor at R G Kar. Though the emergency services are on, we will continue to suspend the indoor services till our demands are met.”
After Saha and Khan were forced to retreat, cops were deployed outside CNMC’s administrative block. The students locked the main gate, though they allowed entry to some whose exams were on. They guarded the campus when the high court proceeding about the matter was on.
After an internal meeting, resident doctors and CNMC students’ union held a press conference outside the campus in the evening. Orimpa Saha, a doctor, said: “We held talks with our counterparts in other medical colleges and decided that we will continue our stir. We want the govt to withdraw Ghosh’s transfer in next 24 hours. Be it handing over of the case to CBI or party leaders’ assurance of looking into our demands, whatever has happened today appears to be an eyewash.”