Bengal junior doctors reject Mamata Banerjee's appeal to resume work, says CM's words seemed like 'passive threat'
Kolkata/IBNS: The agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been on ceasework for 20 days to protest against the brutal rape and murder of a fellow medic at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Wednesday rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to join duty.
A member of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum said they would not withdraw the agitation unless their demands, including justice for the RG Kar victim, were met.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier in the day requested junior doctors to rejoin their duties saying she doesn't intend to take any action against them.
"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 want 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."
One agitating doctor, however, said the CM's remark sounded ‘like a passive threat’.
"Mamata Banerjee’s words sound like a passive threat. We have been demanding justice. We still believe our demands haven’t been met. We also want to reiterate that we don’t want any violence and unrest, but we will not get back to work till all our demands are met,” the doctor said after they held a protest rally from Shyambazar to Esplanade on Wednesday.
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.
Visuals from the rally showed junior doctors carrying placards and posters while raising demands for justice for the deceased medic.
The doctors' rally coincided with a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP to protest against Mamata's inaction in the RG Kar case.
All inside image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS
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