Doctors at West Bengal’s government hospitals who have been striking work since the rape and murder at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College have decided to continue their agitation despite another appeal from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and objected to her remark that an FIR could ruin their future.
On Wednesday, Banerjee urged them to end the strike and return to work.
“I support the junior doctors’ agitation. They are protesting because their colleagues have been raped and murdered. I must also say that many patients died because they couldn’t get proper care. We will not take any actions against you, but I appeal to you to join work. The Supreme Court had also appealed to junior doctors to join work. One must remember that the SC said that it was up to the state government to take action. We didn’t take action. If an FIR is filed against you, your future will be ruined. He or she won’t get a passport or visa,” Banerjee said at an event of the ruling Trinamool Congress’s student wing.
Banerjee also listed some of the measures that her government had taken after the RG Kar incident.
Dr Suvendu Mallik, one of the protesters and a former student of RG Kar Medical College, said the chief minister’s words sounded like a passive threat.
“It sounds like a passive threat. We have been demanding justice. We still believe our demands haven’t been met. We also want to reiterate that we don’t want any violence and unrest, but we will not get back to work till all our demands are met,” he said.
BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar said Banerjee was threatening the doctors. “She is threatening doctors. She has lost her mental stability. Or else what does her statement mean? I would like to tell her that however you try, no one fears you in Bengal anymore. If anyone faces any issue, we will provide them legal help,” he said.
“Didi has started threatening junior doctors. Can this be tolerated,” said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Under the banner of West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum, thousands marched from the Shyambazar Netaji Statue to Dharmatala.
The forum said in a statement that it would continue the cease-work protest by abstaining from outpatient, inpatient, elective and emergency services till further notice as none of its demands had been met. “Therefore, on behalf of R.G.KAR, we would humbly reiterate that no resident, intern or student should be subjected to any form of provocation or coercion—official, unofficial, emotional or intimidation,” read the statement.
The doctors said they were being threatened mentally and emotionally or coerced into opposing the agitation.
Avisikta, a postgraduate trainee who was part of the rally, said, “We are here to demand justice. We have been demanding justice for the last 20 days. We have done so many rallies but haven’t got justice. After this incident I don’t feel safe in a hospital, which is my workplace. How can someone ask me to get back to work when the problems have not been resolved.”
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