Kolkata Rape & Murder: Striking Docs Invited For Talks With Govt At State Secretariat

Kolkata: The striking doctors who have been protesting against the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital have agreed to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a bid to end the impasse over their month-long ceasework.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant sent an email to the doctors, inviting them for talks with the government at 6 pm on Wednesday at the state secretariat.

The resident doctors of government hospitals defied Supreme Court’s directive issued on Monday that they should resume duty by 5 pm on Tuesday. Expressing disappointment with Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud’s order, the doctors stated that unless all their demands were met, including measures of safety and security, it won’t be possible for them to rejoin work.

Reminding them of the Supreme Court order, the Chief Secretary asked the doctors to send a delegation of 12 to 15 members to discuss the issue which has hogged national headlines since the semi-naked body of a junior doctor was found at the state-run hospital on August 9.

The state government had written on Tuesday also, but the doctors turned down the proposal as theat email was sent by the Health Secretary, whose removal they are demanding among others.

On Wednesday morning, doctors said they had agreed to a meeting and emailed the Chief Minister’s Office.

“In the email that was sent to us (on Tuesday), there was no mention of the presence of the Chief Minister. We emailed the Chief Minister today at 3.50 am to clear the confusion,” India Today quoted a protesting doctor as saying.

The doctors said they will meet the CM and put forward their demands.