Junior Docs In Kolkata Continue Stir, Head Towards Bengal’s Swasthya Bhawan To Demand Resignation Of Top Officials

Kolkata: A day after the Supreme Court (SC) asked protesting doctors in Kolkata to return to work by 5pm on Tuesday, the medicos are not ready to end their agitation to demand justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder victim.

Over 1,200 junior doctors have hit the streets around noon. The doctors are currently marching towards the Swasthya Bhawan in Kolkata’s Salt Lake that houses the offices of the state health department from Kuranamoyee area. The agitating doctors are demanding the resignation of top health officials and Kolkata Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal, for alleged laxity in the probe and ‘North Bengal lobby-driven’ graft in the health system of Bengal.

The protesters are carrying brooms and stethoscope to the health department in a bid to ‘cleanse’ the system of graft. “No one is talking about justice. The Supreme Court didn’t speak about justice. Rather, the apex court asked us to stop the agitation. This is not fair,” said one of the protesting doctors.

What are the doctors demanding?

1) Identification of and legal action against all possible culprits involved in the crime as well as action against those who allegedly tampered proof.
2) Disciplinary action against former RG Kar principal Sandip Kumar Ghosh by the West Bengal Medical Council following his suspension and resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.
3) Tightened security for all healthcare workers in hospitals and health centres.
4) An end to the alleged ‘threat culture’ in all state-run hospitals and medical colleges across Bengal

Meanwhile, health department officials said they would keep their doors open to discuss the demands of junior doctors. Police has however placed barricades ahead of Swasthya Bhawan.