R.G. Kar issue: Junior docs continue sit-in outside health department office amid rain

Protesting doctors in West Bengal continue sit-in for justice amid rain, demanding safety measures and suspensions.

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Sunday (September 15, 2024) said they remain steadfast in their resolve to pursue justice for the medic raped and murdered at the R.G. Kar hospital, a day after another attempt to resolve the impasse with the state government fell through.

Amid persistent rain, the protesting doctors continued their sit-in outside 'Swasthya Bhavan', the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake, for the sixth consecutive day.

"We are steadfast in our resolve to seek justice for our sister, no matter the adversity. We have spent nights on the streets in harsh conditions and inclement weather despite some of us not feeling well," an agitating junior medic said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Saturday made a surprise visit to the site where the doctors were protesting and assured them that their demands would be addressed, but the proposed meeting fell through, with the protesters claiming that they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CM's residence.

Another protesting doctor claimed they had agreed to attend the meeting without live-streaming or video recording as Ms. Banerjee requested, but after notifying Minister of State for Health, Chandrima Bhattacharya, of this decision, they were told to leave because it was too late.

"We must stay strong. This fight isn't just ours, it is for the 10 crore people of Bengal. The arrests of Sandip Ghosh and the Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station validate our view that attempts were made to cover up this heinous crime," he said.

The CBI, which is probing the rape-murder case, on Saturday evening added charges of tampering with evidence against former R.G. Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh, who is currently in judicial custody and arrested Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala police station, on charges of misleading the investigation and altering the crime scene.