IN A show of solidarity with the protesting junior doctors, a large number of people joined two separate marches in Kolkata on Friday, seeking justice for a woman trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at at R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata on August 9.
This came after junior doctors, on Thursday late evening, announced a partial withdrawal of their strike, which began on August 9. While emergency services will resume on Saturday, doctors have warned of further protests if all their demands for improved security measures are not met.
On Friday, junior doctors marched from Swastha Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, to the CGO complex, marking the end of their sit-in protest that began on September 10.
The doctors’ march drew a large crowd. Simultaneously, on the other side of the city, another march was also organised. This procession, a relay torch event starting at Highland Park and ending at Shyambazar, demanded justice for the victim. The general public, sports fans, alumni from various institutions, artists, IT professionals and members of civil society joined the march. Actors Ushsi Chakraborty and Rupa Bhattacharya, along with theatre personality Sourav Palodhi, were also present. For the past one-and-a-half months, people from various walks of life have come together to demand accountability and improved safety for healthcare workers.
The partial withdrawal of the strike signifies some progress in negotiations between the doctors and the government. However, the doctors’ continued warnings of renewed protests indicate that the fight for improved working conditions is far from over.
“We have been given several assurances. But it is only at the level of assurance. We have been told that Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned but that doesn’t mean it will guarantee safety and security of the hospital. We expect some action from the government on this before the next hearing in the Supreme Court,” Lahari Sarkar, one of the protesters, told mediapersons at R G Kar hospital.
The doctors pointed out that they have decided to withdraw the movement temporarily, considering the situation in flood-ravaged rural Bengal. The doctors said, “A team of ours has reached Panskura. We have taken the responsibility of treating the flood-affected people there. In this way, we will protest for our rights, demands and fulfill our duty for common people. This movement, the fight for justice, will continue.”
Paramita Bhandar, another junior doctor, said, “42 days of our protest… We spent the last 11 days on the road. From the scorching sun to the heavy rain, nothing could shake us. Finally some of our demands have been accepted by the government. As we have seen, some senior officials have been transferred by the state government. Sandeep Ghosh and a police personnel were arrested. For now, after a few victories, we are back at our R G Kar campus,” she said.
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