RG Kar faceoff: Protesting junior doctors return from Mamata Banerjee's residence without talks in battle of nerves

But when the junior doctors agreed to her condition, they were told to go back.

"We agreed in keeping with the decision to honour the CM. We decided to respect her after she herself requested a meeting without videography from our side and agreed to only have minutes of the meeting. After a discussion when we went to communicate our willingness, junior health minister Chandrima Bhattacharjee said it is too late and not possible to hold the meeting anymore," said the doctors' representative.

"We climbed down for the sake of our five-point demands to end the impasse. We agreed to her conditions, trusting her. But we were told that they waited for three hours. But we waited for 35 days braving rain and heat. They almost threw us out. It means from the beginning they wanted this," he said.

Breaking down in tears, a lady junior doctor said they were literally thrown out of the residence of the CM despite waiting in the rain.

A delegation of junior doctors arrived in south Kolkata's Kalighat area on Saturday evening to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence.

However, the standoff over live-streaming of the talks continued with no headway till 9 pm. A battle of nerves raged between the Chief Minister and the junior doctors.

While the agitating students insisted on live-streaming, Mamata Banerjee requested them to join talks and assured that she would make available the minutes of the meeting.

She said the video recording will be done but she will make it available only after the Supreme Court permits it. "Please come and have a cup of tea even if you do not want to hold a meeting," she said, requesting them to not get drenched in the rain.

"I even have [dry] clothes for you," she said. "We will also not use this recording," she said. She said there was no commitment of live-streaming in the latest mail exchange.

"Please come in the interest of the people," she said, reminding them that she has been insulted time and again.

Returning to their dharna site in Salt Lake, one of the protesters, who have been giving press briefs, said, "The Chief Minister turned down our proposals of live streaming as well as video recording by both sides. She told us that they will record the video and give it to us a copy only after courting hearing. How can we be sure that the video will not be edited or tampered?"

"We were just 10 minutes late to inform them that we were ready to hold discussions on the Chief Minister's condition that meeting minutes will be given. But junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said they had waited for three hours and hence can't wait any further. On the contrary, we have been waiting on the streets for 35 days. So now it is clear which side is not eager for a dialogue."

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant sent an email to the junior doctors asking them to send a 15-member delegation to the Chief Minister's Kalighat residence at 6 pm.

The delegation of more than 30 junior doctors reached her residence at around 6.45 pm on a bus that was arranged for them.

The doctors are currently on a casework to demand justice for the medic who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug 9.

The protesting doctors have been camping outside the Health and Family Welfare office Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake for the past several days.

In a dramatic crisis-management move, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made a surprise visit to the protest site of junior doctors and assured to act against anyone found guilty.

Mamata made the visit a day after the meeting between her and junior doctors failed to take place over the protesters' demand for the live-streaming of the discussion.

Speaking to the agitators, the Chief Minister said, "I salute your protest. I have come up from the students' movement too. It rained heavily last night. I couldn't even sleep thinking of the pain you had suffered."

"If I can come to the dharna site, then please keep faith in me. I don't run the government alone. I don't keep track of everything. I will investigate and if anyone is found guilty, I will take appropriate action," she added.

The Chief Minister, who was greeted with 'We Want Justice' slogans, assured no action will be taken against the junior doctors who are on ceasework.

"This is my last appeal to you all," Mamata, who announced that all hospital committees will be dissolved, said.

"I want justice for Tilottama. I will urge the CBI to expedite the probe," the Chief Minister added.

Mamata Banerjee at junior doctors' dharna site | Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

West Bengal junior doctors' sit-in protests outside state Health and Family Welfare headquarters- Swasthya Bhavan- entered the fifth day on Saturday after the efforts to hold a discussion between the protesters and the government on the RG Kar rape-murder incident failed on Thursday evening.

The junior doctors earlier refused to enter into a dialogue with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the government refused to stream the meeting live.

Despite the government asking the protesters to send a 15-member team for the meeting, a 30-member delegation of junior doctors had reached the state headquarters Nabanna on Thursday.

Junior doctors' march to Swasthya Bhavan | Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Though the government accepted the 30-member team, it remained firm on denying live streaming but allowed recording of the meeting.

After the doctors refused to participate in the meeting without live streaming, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who claimed she waited for two hours at Nabanna Sabhaghar, accused the protesters of aiming to capture political power and not seeking justice.