Bengal Government invites junior doctors for talks at 5 p.m.; rejects live stream

West Bengal Government invites junior doctors for talks to end impasse over medic's rape and murder, rejecting live telecast.

In a fresh letter to the agitating junior doctors, the West Bengal Government on Thursday (September 12, 2024) issued an invite for talks at 5 p.m. to end the impasse over the rape and murder of a woman medic at the R.G. Kar hospital in Kolkata.

While the Government accepted the doctors' demand for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's presence at the meeting, it rejected their prerequisite of a live telecast of the talks and restricted the delegation's strength to not more than 15 people as against the protesters' wish for 30 members.

The letter addressed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to the agitating junior doctors, who have stayed put in a sit-in before Swasthya Bhavan, the State Health Department headquarters in Salt Lake, for nearly 48 hours, states that the Government was "open to meeting the delegates to ensure smooth functioning of the healthcare infrastructure in the State", but "cannot be in any manner contrary to the directions passed by the Supreme Court for resumption of work".

This is the third communication from the Government to the doctors in the last two days, with the protesters rejecting the previous two proposals and setting concrete conditions for the meeting.

"The meeting shall not be Live telecast. However, the same can be recorded to maintain transparency. This will serve the purpose intended from your end, while also maintaining the sanctity of the proceedings, ensuring that all discussions are accurately documented," the Chief Secretary stated in his letter.

The protesting doctors are yet to respond to the communication.

An unattended bag at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata triggered panic, following which a bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot on Thursday (September 12, 2024).