‘We haven’t seen any action on our demands’: Protesting junior doctors in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Junior doctors, who have been on protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, have said they haven’t seen any action on the directives given by the Chief Secretary as per their demands.

“Our agitation so far centred around only one agenda, and that was justice for Abhaya. It has been 10 days since we met with the Chief Secretary concerning our safety and security in hospitals, but we haven’t seen any action on the directives given by the Chief Secretary as per our demands”, Aniket Mahato, a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, said.

#WATCH | Shyambazar, Kolkata: Aniket Mahato, a junior doctor at RG Kar College and Hospital, says, “Our agitation so far centred around only one agenda, and that was justice for Abhaya… It has been 10 days since we met with the Chief Secretary concerning our safety and security… https://t.co/GXjJq4eUX3 pic.twitter.com/sfOYQK1PSV

— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2024

“What we got was another similar incident in Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital. If we get something fruitful in the Supreme Court hearing tomorrow, we will rethink it; otherwise, we will go for a complete seizure… We have organised a mass rally on October 2,” he added.

Dr Shreya Shaw, a doctor at RG Kar College and Hospital said that their demands have been the same since the beginning of the protest.

#WATCH | Shyambazar, Kolkata: Dr Shreya Shaw, a doctor at RG Kar College and Hospital, says, “Our demands have been the same since the beginning. We have five demands which have not been fulfilled till now. We joined our duty thinking our patients need us but during all this,… https://t.co/GXjJq4fsMB pic.twitter.com/lv4exdUkve

— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2024

“We have five demands that have not been fulfilled till now. We joined our duty thinking our patients needed us, but during all this, another similar incident happened in Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital… All our meetings with the CM and government have all gone in vain… All we want to say is, no safety, no duty. We have our eyes on every hearing of the SC, and we need to keep the pressure high. We have faith that the CJI will announce a verdict that gives us justice… We want justice as soon as possible because justice delayed is justice denied,” she said.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front organised a torch rally from RG Kar Hospital to Shyambazar on Sunday as part of their ongoing protests. Meanwhile, following the arrest of Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge (O/C) of Tala police station, in connection with the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, Malay Kumar Dutta has been appointed as the new officer-in-charge. His appointment came through an official order issued by the Commissioner of Kolkata Police on Thursday.

The order stated that Malay Kumar Dutta, Inspector of Police (I-Cadre), Addl. O/C, Shyampukur PS, North Division, Kolkata Police, presently looking after the work of the office of the O/C, Tala PS, North Division, Kolkata Police, in addition to his own duties, is posted as Officer-in-Charge, Tala PS, North Division, Kolkata Police, with immediate effect in the interest of public service.

Last Wednesday, both Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and the arrested officer-in-charge, Abhijit Mondal, were transferred to the Presidency Jail from the Sealdah Court. Mondal and Ghosh were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College.Before this, the West Bengal Medical Council cancelled Sandip Ghosh’s medical practitioner registration.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also initiated a search operation at Ghosh’s residence in Chinar Park, Kolkata. This operation was linked to a separate investigation into financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College. The ED had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate alleged money laundering involving Ghosh.

On September 10, a CBI court remanded Sandip Ghosh and three others to judicial custody in connection with financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The CBI’s investigation into these matters followed a directive from a single bench of the Calcutta High Court, which ordered a probe into allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement at the institution.

Abhijit Mondal, was suspended by the Kolkata Police on September 18 after his arrest by the CBI on September 14. He was produced before the Sealdah Court on Sunday along with Ghosh. (ANI)