‘Month-long stir, people’s support finally bear fruit’
Times of India | 17 September 2024
12 Kolkata: As CM Mamata Banerjee announced a shake-up in the police force and the health department after a marathon meeting at Kalighat late on Monday, junior doctors glued to the the news on handsets erupted in joy and chanted ‘We want justice’ slogan with renewed vigor. All of them felt their prolonged agitation and people’s support had finally borne fruit.
“We are really happy that the CM has accepted our demands to replace the commissioner of police, DC-North and the DME and DHS in the health department.They were among our core demands,” said a junior doctor, delight evident in the broad smile.
The faces of nearly eveyone present had lit up on hearing the news of the administrative changes. But they were quick to point out that though their cease-work was likely to be called off once their colleagues reached the protest site and they held a meeting, their agitation for justice in the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar would continue unabated.
The announcement and the ensuing exuberance in the camp capped nearly six hours’ anxious wait. Through the evening, they kept the tempo and each other’s spirits up by singing songs and shouting slogans in turns. Some of the agitators painted fresh graffiti and slogans on the street before Nabadiganta Bhawan adjacent to Swasthya Bhavan. But every now and then, a few of them betrayed the collective anxiety as they checked the mobile screens or tried to ring a colleague who was at the meeting for an update.
“This meeting was significant not only for us but also for the citizens of Bengal at large. For this protest was no longer only confined to doctors. It had become a people’s protest,” said Brahmajit Hazra, one of the agitating junior doctors.
“All of us want to return to work now that most of our demands are met,” said a junior doctor.