Kolkata:
Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee, after meeting with the protesting junior doctors, has announced that she had agreed to three of the five demands of the protesting doctors — the removal of two top officials of the health department and the Chief of Kolkata police. Along with it, the police chief of the city’s north zone — where RG Kar Medical College, the hospital where the rape-murder of a young doctor took place, is located — will also be removed. Though the impasse is solved, the protest and the ceasework is expected to continue till the formal orders are issued in the morning.
“I think the meeting was positive. Am sure they think too,” she said. “Or why else we will sign the minutes of the meeting and they would sign it too?” she added.
Banerjee said they have accepted 99 per cent of the doctors’ demands, “because they are our younger brothers”.
“I know they say they will go and discuss and then will decide on lifting the ceasework. But I have requested them to do so, citing the condition of patients, especially in view of the floods in some of the districts,” the Chief Minister said.
Doctors Say Protest Will Continue till…
The announcement is seen as a capitulation of sorts. The junior doctors declared that the state’s acceptance of their demands was a “big victory” of their 38-day protest.
As for lifting the protest and the casework, that can only be done when the government delivers, they said. “We have only received their verbal assurance,” said a representative of the Junior Doctors’ Forum.
But even so, their other aim — the destruction of the nexus of corruption at the hospital – remains, they said. “We will also continue the agitation for the removal of the health secretary,” added one of the other representatives.
What the State Has Promised
Mamata Banerjee has accepted the demands for the upgrade in hospital infrastructure and Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for it.
About the removal of the two health officials — the Director of Medical Education and the Director of the Health Services — Ms Banerjee said they would be given transfers to proper posts.
“We are not dishonouring them. They have not been in the post for long and have done nothing wrong. But since the students said they do not have trust in them, we have accepted,” Ms Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister had earlier said that city police chief Vineet Goyal would be retained for at least the Durga puja. He had asked to resign several times, but she wanted him to stay back, she had said.
The demand for Mr Goyal’s removal came in view of allegations about the police role in evidence tampering after the rape-murder of August 9. This was commented on multiple times by the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court.
Last week, the Central Bureau of Investigation or the CBI, which is investigating the case, has arrested the hospital’s former Principal Sandip Ghosh and a senior officer of the local police.
The “fifth and final invitation for talks”
The Chief Minister’s announcement took place close to midnight, after a two-hour meeting with the protesting doctors and another 2.5 hours to type out the minutes of the meeting. Ahead of the meeting the state government had described it as a “fifth and final invitation for talks”.
The protesting junior doctors had come to the table after two failed attempts at talks with the Chief Minister. Escorted by a pilot police vehicle, around 30 doctors had arrived at Ms Banerjee’s home at 6.20 pm. The meeting, which was expected to begin at 5 pm, finally started around 7 pm and ended around 9 pm, after which the process to finalise the minutes started.
The doctors had taken their own stenographers to record the minutes. The document was signed by 40 doctors.
The impasse over the doctors’ demand for justice for the rape-murder of the 31-year-old medic has been on for more than a month. The Supreme Court has already ordered that the doctors put an end to the ceasework and get back to patient care, which is suffering.
The order had ended the spread of the ceasework, as doctors across India had stood up to show solidarity with the protesters. But Bengal doctors had refused, doubling down with the protests as the common people kept up their support.
