The Kolkata Police on Thursday sent a letter to the seven junior doctors, who were observing fast-unto-death at Esplanade asking them to end the strike and instead get admitted to a medical facility for treatment.
KOLKATA — The fast-unto-death agitation by junior doctors in support of their demands on the rape and murder of their colleagues in R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital entered the sixth day on Thursday.
The crucial meeting between the junior doctors and the West Bengal government, which continued after Wednesday midnight, failed to reach any conclusion.
The junior doctors could not get written assurance about the timeline as to when their demands would be fulfilled.
The impasse continued even after over 250 senior doctors, including members of the medico-academic fraternity from state-run medical colleges and hospitals, tendered mass resignations from their services during the last two days.
More mass resignations from other medical colleges were expected in the coming days.
The resigning doctors said that if needed, they would forward their resignations individually to the state government.
Meanwhile, responding to the appeal of the junior doctors and some other acclaimed personalities from civil society, the revellers on the occasion of the festival days, took some time out from their pandal hopping schedule and visited the hunger strike dais, expressing solidarity with the protesting junior doctors.
Meanwhile, the parents of the victim too have been holding a sit-in demonstration in front of their residence at Panihati in North 24 Parganas district since Tuesday evening. They will continue to do so till Saturday.
“I have lost my daughter. But now, I have got several kids seeking justice for us. Some of them are fasting. Here, we are sitting in front of our house lighting a lamp. I pray to Maa Durga that this time, before returning, she finishes all the evils and demons of the society,” the victim’s mother said.
Police ask junior doctors to end hunger strike
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police on Thursday sent a letter to the seven junior doctors, who were observing fast-unto-death at Esplanade to protest the rape and murder of one of their colleagues at R. G. Kar Medical & Hospital, asking them to end the strike and instead get admitted to a medical facility for treatment.
Officer-in-charge of the local Hare Street Police Station came to the dais of the hunger strike and served the letter to the protesting junior doctors asking the latter to vacate the demonstration dais.
The police move comes after a senior doctor, examining the junior doctors on hunger strike, informed media persons that the medical condition of one of them, Aniket Mahato, has deteriorated drastically and he needs to be hospitalised.
However, the protesting junior doctors claimed that in the letter, the police stressed on raising a demonstration dais without seeking permission from the administration.
“In the letter, the police stressed that we have been organising a protest demonstration at Esplanade since October 5 by raising the dais without administrative permission. So, according to the police, we will have to vacate the place. This means that the administration was not concerned about us. We are not taking this lightly,” said a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), the umbrella body under which the junior doctors are continuing their protest demonstrations on the rape and murder of their colleague.
Meanwhile, sources said, the city police had also pointed out that on Wednesday, they requested the seven junior doctors to vacate the place and use police ambulances, which the latter refused.
In the letter, the city police also claimed to have requested the State Health Department to organise a team of medical officers for the doctors observing the hunger strike. The city police have requested the protesting junior doctors to take medical assistance after vacating the place. — IANS
