Kolkata Comm of Police & Dy Comm of Police (North division), directors of state Health Services and Medical Education departments removed as per agreement reached after a marathon 5-hour meeting between Mamata and a large delegation of striking junior doctors on Monday evening
Junior doctors told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that they are ready to resume duties if confidence-building measures, agreed upon with the CM on Monday, are implemented
After the SC hearing, the junior doctors, still sceptical about the state government’s sincerity, decided against calling off their more than 5-week long agitation and ‘cease work’ till all their demands are met. They also sought a fresh round of talks with the state government
After attempts at cover-up by the hospital authorities, the state health and medical education top brass and top officers of the Kolkata Police Commissionerate in the horrific RG Kar Medical College and Hospital junior doctor rape and murder case boomeranged on her, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is literally on her knees, seemingly seeking to set things right.
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The agitating doctors across the state, demanding among other things speedy justice for the victim, a postgraduate intern at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, have been agitating and resorting to ‘cease work’ for the last more than five weeks, ever since the incident case to light on August 9, crippling state-run healthcare delivery and subjecting the Mamata government to public shame.
After weeks of failed attempts by her government, and she herself, to come to a negotiated settlement “with an open mind”, a breakthrough appeared to have been achieved late evening on Monday when following marathon 5-hours of negotiations, the chief minister agreed to majority of the demands from a 5-point charter of demands placed by the striking doctors.
The decisions announced late on Monday night by Mamata Banerjee included removal of Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal, and state health and medical education top brass from their respective positions. She also announced the setting up of a high-level panel under the Chief Secretary to address the doctors’ demands.
The state government came good on its promise by issuing orders on Tuesday removing, besides Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal, Director of Health Services (DHS) Debashis Halder, Director of Medical Education (DME) Kaustav Nayak, and Kolkata Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division) Abhishek Gupta who allegedly offered money to the parents of the rape and murder victim.
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Meanwhile in the hearing of the case in the Supreme Court, which had taken suo moto notice of the Kolkata rape and murder, on Tuesday, the junior doctors submitted that they are ready to resume duties if confidence-building measures, agreed upon with the CM on Monday, are implemented.
During the hearing, the three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, observed that the revelations in the new status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the matter after being handed over the case by the Calcutta High Court, were “disturbing”. Yet revealing its contents at this stage might “jeopardise” the probe, the bench stated.
After the court hearing, the striking doctors did hold a marathon meeting of their general body on Tuesday evening but still appeared to be sceptical about their victim colleague getting early justice and the state government’s sincerely towards implementing their agreed upon and remaining demands.
Post midnight, the agitating doctors announced in a press conference that they will continue their strike until all their demands are met, including the removal of state Principal Secretary Health NS Nigam.
Seeking a fresh round of talks with the government, the doctors said the government should provide them with a “democratic environment”. They also listed fresh demands, including measures to ensure adequate toilet arrangements for doctors, installation of the required number of CCTV cameras in government-run hospitals, proper accommodation for doctors, increased security, and the conduct of student body elections.
Most of these demands were addressed by the Supreme Court in its hearing on Tuesday, and directions were also issued to the state government for their early implementation.
Shots from the West Bengal junior doctors’ ongoing protests which have entered their sixth week
