Hardly five days after the Sunday evening rally agitating junior doctors and civil society again on Friday brought out two rallies separately in the city shouting slogans demanding justice for the gruesome incident at R G Kar Medical College hospital on 9 August.
The junior doctors, who have been organizing cease-work programme in 26 government medical colleges across the state for the past 41 days and sit-in-protest in front of the Swasthya Bhawan, resumed work in essential emergency wards today after huge march to CGO Complex, office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the incident this afternoon.
The agitators from state-run teaching hospitals demanded prompt justice for the rape and murder of their colleague at R G kar Hospital and threatened to continue their protest till their charter of demands, including end of ‘threat culture’ in teaching hospitals, conducting students elections in medical colleges and formation of college-level task force comprising members like junior doctors and nurses are met by the government.
Besides the protesting doctors, people from various professions, including Tollywood actors also joined the march.
“We are thankful to common people that so many of them came today within such a short time of call made last night. Please stay with and support us. We have achieved partial victory with the removal of commissioner of police, deputy commissioner of police (north division), director of medical education and director of health services but we will intensify our protest in coming days till our demands starting from safety and security are redressed. We withdrew our sit-in programme today and joined work.
Our medical teams along with relief material like medicines, dry food, drinking water and tarpaulins will visit flood-ravaged districts to stay beside the affected people. We will set up Abhaya Clinics there,” said agitating juniors doctor Debashis Halder, Aniket Mahato and others while addressing the rally in front of the CGO Complex this evening.
The medics also announced setting up of Abhaya Clinics, in memory of the brutally murdered R G Kar PGT doctor, in flood-affected regions of the state from Friday.
The protesting doctors said they would not work in the outpatient department (OPD) but would partially work in emergency and essential services.
The announcements came shortly after chief secretary Manoj Pant, following up on issues discussed in Wednesday’s meeting between the agitating junior doctors and the state task force, issued a list of directives on the safety and security and conducive environment for healthcare professionals, saying those orders need to be implemented immediately.
Besides the junior doctors’ march, civil society in a separate 42 km-long rally between Highland Park and Shyambazar showed solidarity with the agitating junior doctors.
The head of the rally carrying torches symbolizing the fire of protests against the incident marched towards Shyambazar this evening. People had started to gather at Highland Park from 3.30 pm.
A sea of people armed with torches and illuminated mobile phones descended on the streets and the march continued till the evening.
Gouri Ghosh, an 80-year-old retired school teacher, carrying a bouquet of red roses was seen waiting to show solidarity with the protesters. She could not participate in the rally but assured them moral support.
“We will wait for a week for the West Bengal government to implement all its promises and if unfulfilled, we will resume ‘cease work’,” the doctors said.