RG Kar
RG Kar: 'I don't want to take action,' says Mamata Banerjee urging protesting junior doctors to resume work
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday requested junior doctors, who are on ceasework demanding justice for the RG Kar rape-murder victim, to rejoin their duties.
"I have full support for the protesting junior doctors. I have always been on their side because their agony was justified. They have been on ceasework for a long time now. So I would request them to resume work now. The Supreme Court has also urged them to do so," Mamata said at her party Trinamool Congress' mega event.
Mamata said she does not intend to take any action against the protesters as that would ruin their careers.
The state government anyway has been restrained by the Supreme Court from taking action. The top court too urged the junior doctors to get back to work ensuring no action will be taken against them by the government.
Speaking at her rally in downtown Kolkata, the TMC supremo said, "I haven't taken any action against any protester until now. I don't intend to take any action. But the Supreme Court has empowered the state government to take action if they don't resume work. But I don't want to take any action as that would ruin their future."
The Chief Minister urged the junior doctors to resume work on a day the protesters took out a major rally demanding justice for the victim from Shyambazar to Dharmatala.
Speaking to a local channel, one of the protesters said, "We too want to get back to work but only after our demands are met."
Even in its last hearing, the Supreme Court had urged the junior doctors to resume work as the ceasework threatens to cripple the government medical facilities on which lakhs of poor people depend for treatment.
"Poor people cannot be left in lurch," Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had said.
"If they are on duty, they will not be marked absent and if they are not on duty, then law will be followed. Ask them to first return to work, no one will take adverse action against any doctor. If there is difficulty after that, then come to us, but let them first report to work," the CJI said when an advocate appearing for resident doctors at AIIMS claimed protesting doctors have been marked absent.
The Supreme Court has assured the doctors' representatives that all their grievances and issues will be taken care of by the National Task Force that has been constituted by the top court.
"The committee will ensure all representatives are heard," said the top court.
The Supreme Court has also posted a central force- CISF- at RG Kar Hospital, which was vandalised by miscreants on the intervening night of August 14 and 15 when thousands of women and men took to streets for night vigil demanding justice for RG Kar victim.
A 31-year-old trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered at the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which is located in North Kolkata's Belgachia area, sending shockwaves across the country and triggering pan-India outrage.
One person, a civic volunteer, has been arrested in connection with the case but protesting students as well as the victim's parents suspect more people are involved in the case.
Though the RG Kar case is now being probed by the CBI, the state administration is facing public anger over its slow progress and an alleged cover-up in the case until it was handed over to the premier investigating agency under the central government.
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