Kolkata Doctors Agree to Meet Mamata Banerjee Under Conditions
Kolkata Doctors Agree to Meet mamata banerjee Under Conditions
After 33 days of protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical college and Hospital, junior doctors have agreed to meet with West bengal chief minister mamata Banerjee. The decision to engage in talks was announced on Wednesday, september 11, but comes with several stipulations.
In their correspondence to chief minister Banerjee, the protesting doctors outlined key conditions for the meeting. They requested that the discussion be conducted in an open forum and broadcast live, rather than being held behind closed doors. Additionally, they demanded swift justice for the victim, an end to the "threat culture" within government healthcare, and enhanced safety measures for female healthcare professionals.
In response, the chief secretary invited a delegation of 12 to 15 doctors to a meeting at the state secretariat, Nabanna, later that evening. The invitation followed the doctors' earlier rejection of a proposed meeting, which they found disrespectful as it came from the state health secretary—an official they had called for resignation.
The doctors have expressed flexibility regarding the timing and location of the meeting, emphasizing their openness to meet "anytime and anywhere" chosen by the Chief Minister. They also demanded that representatives from all government-run medical colleges participate and called for strict disciplinary action against former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, currently jailed for alleged financial corruption.
Protests continued outside the Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department's headquarters, where the doctors have been staging a sit-in. They have rejected a supreme court directive to resume work and are calling for the removal of several high-ranking officials, including the kolkata Police Commissioner and the state health secretary.
The bjp has criticized chief minister Banerjee for not meeting the doctors directly. Senior bjp leader amit Malviya questioned why she would avoid direct engagement with the protesters while allegedly providing financial compensation to the victim’s family and interfering with the investigation. Malviya also called for Banerjee’s resignation, attributing the responsibility for the incident and the ongoing unrest to her role as home and health minister of West Bengal.
After 33 days of protest over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical college and Hospital, junior doctors have agreed to meet with West bengal chief minister mamata Banerjee. The decision to engage in talks was announced on Wednesday, september 11, but comes with several stipulations.
In their correspondence to chief minister Banerjee, the protesting doctors outlined key conditions for the meeting. They requested that the discussion be conducted in an open forum and broadcast live, rather than being held behind closed doors. Additionally, they demanded swift justice for the victim, an end to the "threat culture" within government healthcare, and enhanced safety measures for female healthcare professionals.
In response, the chief secretary invited a delegation of 12 to 15 doctors to a meeting at the state secretariat, Nabanna, later that evening. The invitation followed the doctors' earlier rejection of a proposed meeting, which they found disrespectful as it came from the state health secretary—an official they had called for resignation.
The doctors have expressed flexibility regarding the timing and location of the meeting, emphasizing their openness to meet "anytime and anywhere" chosen by the Chief Minister. They also demanded that representatives from all government-run medical colleges participate and called for strict disciplinary action against former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, currently jailed for alleged financial corruption.
Protests continued outside the Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department's headquarters, where the doctors have been staging a sit-in. They have rejected a supreme court directive to resume work and are calling for the removal of several high-ranking officials, including the kolkata Police Commissioner and the state health secretary.
The bjp has criticized chief minister Banerjee for not meeting the doctors directly. Senior bjp leader amit Malviya questioned why she would avoid direct engagement with the protesters while allegedly providing financial compensation to the victim’s family and interfering with the investigation. Malviya also called for Banerjee’s resignation, attributing the responsibility for the incident and the ongoing unrest to her role as home and health minister of West Bengal.