RG Kar protest: Junior doctors continue hunger strike as Bengal’s TMC govt fails to meet demands
Kolkata: Junior doctors in Kolkata are continuing their hunger strike until death, demanding justice for the rape and murder of a fellow woman medic from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and calling for improved workplace safety, media reports said.
The doctors’ protest in the city’s Dharmatala area has entered its second day, and several senior doctors are planning to join the fast in solidarity with their junior counterparts, according to a PTI report.
Debasish Halder, one of the protesting doctors, expressed gratitude for the public's support.
“The support of these people gives us the courage, the enthusiasm to continue our protest against the gruesome murder of our sister. We are happy to see that people have not forgotten that justice is yet not given and attacks on doctors are still on, and the state government has no serious note of our demands," Halder was quoted as saying by PTI.
The junior doctors launched their hunger strike on Saturday night after the state government failed to meet their 24-hour deadline for addressing their demands, which expired at 8:30 pm that evening.
Their agitation began earlier on Friday with a sit-in demonstration following an alleged assault by Kolkata Police personnel.
To ensure transparency, the protesting medics have installed CCTV cameras at the site where the hunger strike is taking place.
The six doctors leading the fast include Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja, Anustup Mukhopadhyay, Arnab Mukhopadhyay, Pulastha Acharya, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra.
Public support has grown, with large crowds and a few celebrities joining the protest since Saturday night.
Despite calling off their "total cease work" strike, which had severely impacted healthcare services at state-run medical colleges and hospitals, the junior doctors remain firm in their demands.
The protesters highlighted that securing justice for their colleague, who was brutally raped and murdered within the RG Kar premises while on duty, remains their primary goal, the eport said.
They also listed nine other demands, including the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, accountability for alleged administrative failures, and systemic reforms.
Their demands include a centralised referral system for hospitals, improved monitoring of bed vacancies, and task forces to ensure provisions for essential facilities like CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms, according to the report.
The doctors are also calling for increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and the swift filling of vacancies for healthcare workers.
The junior doctors' initial protest began after the rape and murder at Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
After a 42-day strike, they ended their protest on September 21, following assurances from the state government to address their concerns.
However, with the government’s lack of follow-through, the doctors have resumed their agitation.
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