RG Kar impasse: Mamata-junior doctors meeting slated at Bengal CM's residence

The scheduled meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the agitating junior doctors who are protesting over the RG Kar incident, is yet to start.

Banerjee along with DGP Rajeev Kumar and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant were waiting at her residence for the junior doctors to join the meeting on Saturday evening (September 14).

The meeting was yet to start even after the junior doctors reached Banerjee's residence at Kalighat in Kolkata at 6:45 PM.

CM's appeal

Banerjee appealed to the agitating junior doctors to join the meeting.

“I would request you all to come inside and attend the meeting. As the matter is before the court, we cannot allow live streaming. I will video-record the meeting and will provide you with a copy only after permission from the Supreme Court,” she said, while appealing to students to come inside and not to get drenched in rain.

“Today, you said that you want a meeting, so I have been waiting. Why are you people insulting me like this? Please don’t insult me like this. Earlier on the three occasions, I have been waiting but you people didn’t come,” she said. 

According to a video message shared by a junior doctor, they have demanded live-streaming or video recording of the meeting, which has not been accepted just like Thursday.

On Thursday, a scheduled meeting at Nabanna couldn’t take place after there was a deadlock over the issue of live-streaming.

Mamata visits protest site

Earlier on Saturday, after Banerjee's visit to their protest site, the junior doctors sent a mail to the state government expressing their wish to hold talks with Banerjee to resolve the RG Kar impasse.

"We are willing to hold a meeting with the chief minister anywhere and anytime to resolve the impasse. We welcome her visit to us this afternoon. This is a very positive move. We have sent a mail to the state government," one of the agitating doctors said.

In their mail, the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front wrote, "We are grateful that you have showed an exceptional goodwill gesture by coming amidst us in this adverse weather and sharing your thoughts with us. We take this as a welcome step towards our smooth discussion and collective clarity of our five-point demands for which we have been protesting peacefully for the last 35 days."

"We are more than willing to have a discussion in your esteemed presence with adequate representations and proper transparency as agreed by both the parties," they wrote.

The junior doctors who have been on 'cease work' since the August 9 evening, are also demanding the suspension of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal, Health Secretary NS Nigam, Director of Health Services, and Director of Medical Education for "failing" in their duties in the context of the RG Kar incident.

The junior medics are also demanding adequate safety and security measures for all women health professionals in the state.

They have also written to President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister JP Nadda to intervene in the matter to expedite the investigation.

The body of a postgraduate woman doctor was recovered from the seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. A Kolkata Police civic volunteer was arrested the next day in connection with the crime.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting a probe into the rape and murder of the woman medic, following a Calcutta High Court order.

(With agency inputs)