Amid Mamata's appeal to withdraw stir, junior doctor's indefinite hunger strike enters 16th day

Chief Secretary invites medics for talks conditional upon hunger strike withdrawal; protesting doctors refuse until demands met.

Amid West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's request to agitating junior doctors to withdraw their indefinite hunger strike and come for talks, the 'fast-unto-death' of the medics demanding justice for the R.G. Kar Hospital rape-murder victim entered the 16th day on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Taking forward the proposal for talks, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Saturday (October 19) evening invited the medics for talks with Ms. Banerjee for "45 minutes" from 5 p.m. on Monday at State Secretariat Nabanna, conditional upon the "withdrawal of the hunger strike".

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However, the protesting doctors refused to end their hunger strike until all their demands were met but agreed to join the talks on Monday.

Ms. Banerjee on Saturday (October 19) spoke to the agitating doctors over the phone during a visit by Mr. Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site in Kolkata's Esplanade area and urged them to end the hunger strike, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the State Health Secretary.

The junior doctors have been on fast-unto-death for the last 16 days, demanding justice for their deceased colleague and calling for systemic changes in the state's healthcare infrastructure.

So far, six doctors on hunger strike have been hospitalised due to deteriorating health, while eight others remain on an indefinite fast, demanding that the state government take constructive action by Monday to resolve the deadlock.