Five days after withdrawing their hunger strike, the protesting junior doctors in West Bengal on Saturday organised a mass convention to strategise their next move to seek justice for the R G Kar rape-murder victim and ensure that the state government fulfils all their demands.
The six-hour-long mass convention held at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s ‘Platinum Jubilee building’ was attended by doctors from various state-run medical establishments, apart from representatives of civil society.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) announced that their protest movement would continue and decided to organise a rally to the CBI’s office here on October 30 demanding justice for the RG Kar victim.
The participants, including Debashish Halder, Kinjal Nanda, Rumelika Kumar, Aniket Mahato, also discussed the “threat culture” allegedly prevalent in several state-run hospitals, besides steps to be taken to exert pressure on the state government to make it fulfil their demands. “We have called this mass convention to seek justice for our sister, who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital on August 9,” said Mahato.
“The protest started by a few doctors has now taken a massive shape. We wanted to know what happened at the seminar hall of the hospital (where the body was found). We had no idea that this movement would continue for so long and we would get the support of so many people,” Halder said at the programme.
“The state government is highlighting that our health system is number one in the country. You can see after Cyclone Dana… how our health system is working. For emergency cases, the general ward is working despite major waterlogging. This is the face of our health system,” said Rumelika Kumar.
On October 21, the agitating junior doctors called off their fast, which started on October 5, following a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who assured them that their demands would be considered.
On Saturday, the junior doctors also alleged that there were attempts to suppress the truth about what led to the rape and murder of the junior doctor at the RG Kar Hospital and that there were attempts to protect the culprits behind the incident. “We wanted to know what was the truth and that is why we had pressed for a magisterial inquiry. There have been attempts to suppress the truth. We not only want justice but we also want to cleanse the system,” Kinjal Nanda, another agitating doctor, claimed.
Meanwhile, another group of doctors, whose suspension by an internal committee for allegedly promoting ‘threat culture’ in medical colleges and hospitals was stayed by the Calcutta High Court, announced on Saturday that they had floated the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Association.
Addressing mediapersons, Srish Chakraborty, a junior doctor of RG Kar medical college, claimed that the protest movement, which was “aimed at addressing the systemic failures that led to the crime, but ‘cease work’ had also led to chaos in the state’s healthcare system.”
“We are also protesting against this rape and murder but we were against cease work. That is why we were alienated and “threat culture” allegations were levelled against us,” Chakraborty alleged.
“Protesting junior doctors basically wanted to end our careers and illegally we were suspended,” claimed Chakraborty. Countering the allegations, Halder said, “The rape and murder at RG Kar happened due to threat culture of the ruling party leaders. Now they are campaigning against us.. It is very obvious. We will fight against this and are not budging from our demands. We will continue the movement to press for our ten demands,” Halder, member of the WBJDF said.
During this movement, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital authority suspended 51 junior and intern doctors, a decision that was later stayed by the Calcutta High Court.
— WITH PTI