Doctors refuse to meet Mamata Banerjee without livestreaming

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee waits at the State Secretariat Nabanna on September 12, 2024, ahead of talks with protesting junior doctors regarding the rape and murder of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: PTI

In a dramatic standoff at the West Bengal State Secretariat on Thursday (September 12, 2024), striking resident doctors from State-run hospitals arrived for talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but then refused to enter the auditorium as the government would not allow them to livestream the meeting.

The doctors said their demand was to ensure transparency, but the government insisted that since the protest was triggered by the rape and murder of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, which is a subjudice matter, the meeting could not be streamed or telecast live.

Follow LIVE updates from the Kolkata doctors protest on September 12, 2024

Ms. Banerjee waited for about two hours at the Nabanna Sabhaghar, or Secretariat, and then left after addressing journalists. “I tried my best to sit with junior doctors. I waited three days with my highest officials,” the Chief Minister said.

She said she would not use her power under the Essential Services Maintenance Act to force the protesting doctors to end their strike, but instead appealed to the junior doctors to resume work. She noted that 27 people have died over the past month, out of the seven lakh patients who have been denied treatment due to the strike. Claiming that those protesting do not want justice, but “want her chair”, she added that she would not hesitate to resign if it was in the interest of the people.

Seeking transparency

The doctors said that live streaming the meeting would help ensure transparency. “We have not made any unjustified demand. The demand of live streaming was for maintaining transparency. If there can be multiple press conferences on the incident, what was the issue with live streaming?” asked one of the protesting doctors, adding that the CM’s remark that protesters “want her chair” was unfortunate.

A group of about 30 resident doctors had arrived at the Secretariat in a bus on Thursday evening. Senior State officials, including Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, tried unsuccessfully to convince them to join the meeting without livestreming. After the Chief Minister left the Secretariat, the protesting doctors also returned to their protest site at Swastha Bhawan, the headquarters of the State Health department. However, the doctors said they remain open to future talks.

Stalled talks

On Monday, the Supreme Court had said that if the doctors failed to resume work by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the court would not be able to restrain the State government from taking action against them. The resident doctors, who have been on a strike since August 9 when the body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found, then led a march to Swastha Bhawan on Tuesday and gave a fresh set of demands before they would resume work.

The protesting doctors want Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal to resign, and action to be taken against senior officials of the West Bengal government. They are also seeking increased security for health workers, and an end to the “threat culture” in hospitals and medical colleges across West Bengal.

The Chief Secretary Mr. Pant sent a fresh email to the protesting doctors at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, urging them to come to the State Secretariat in a group of about 12 to 15. The doctors responded in a couple of hours and about 30 protesting doctors arrived at the  State Secretariat, but then refused to meet the CM.

For the past two days, the State government and the protesting doctors have been exchanging emails but there has been no headway in their negotiations. With the talks entirely failing to take off on Thursday, the impasse is likely to continue.