Junior doctors celebrate win after Mamata accepts to axe top cop, DC North, but won't join work until implemented

Briefing the media from the agitation site at Swasthya Bhawan, the protesting junior doctors thanked the people for joining their movement and said they would continue their dharna unless the demands were implemented.

"The honourable Chief Minister has decided to remove the police commissioner which has been one of our demands for the last 38 days. She has also agreed to remove the Director of Health Services (DHS) and the Director of Medical Service (DMS) from the health department. The DC North will be removed as well.  This is no doubt a success of our 38-day-long agitation," one of the protesting junior doctors said.

"The state administration has bowed down in front of our movement which received massive support from the common people," a junior doctor said.

"We will decide on our cease work after the Supreme Court hearing tomorrow. We have oral assurance but will continue our dharna until they are implemented. All medical colleges will discuss and arrive at a decision," he said.

"There has been a discussion on the ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and the health secretary's role in the destruction of evidence and the existence of threat culture in our medical colleges. The room for further discussion has been kept open."

"On the issue of safety, the CM has asked her administration to set up a task force. But we have informed her that is not enough and we need fair elections in all medical colleges. However, we will continue our fight unless we see the implementation of these assurances," they vowed.

What Mamata Banerjee said?

Speaking to reporters outside her Kalighat residence, Banerjee said: "Forty-two representatives of junior doctors have signed the minutes of the meeting. Both parties are happy that we could hold the discussion addressing their concerns in detail."

"Of their 5 demands, the first was justice, which has now been entrusted with the CBI," she said.

"Since they are unhappy with the police, we have agreed to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. He will be entrusted with the role of his choice as he himself wants to recuse himself from this post. He will step down at 4 PM on Tuesday and the new CP will be announced," Banerjee said.

"The DC North will be removed as well," she said, noting that this was one of their demands as well.

Banerjee also announced the removal of two health officials- Director of Health Services (DHS) and Director of Medical Service (DMS).

"Besides this, we will take measures to enhance the safety and security of the hospitals," the CM announced.

"We accepted three demands and requested them to join the work so that commoners do not suffer amid a spike in dengue cases in Kolkata. I urge them to join work and extend their service to those in need," she said.

The meeting took place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora.

In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it was cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing that the matter is in the court.

"We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter.

The junior doctors' five-point demand included the removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system.

What happened last week?

On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister.

After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially.