Kolkata rape-murder: Protests continue, govt orders enhanced security in hospitals

There was no let-up in nationwide protests on Monday (August 19) by junior doctors over the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata, even as the Union health ministry approved 25 per cent enhancement in security deployment at central hospitals.

In Kolkata, the protests escalated as senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami, who had posted about the incident on social media, appeared before police after leading a march of hundreds of healthcare professionals from Calcutta Medical College to Kolkata Police headquarters.

Healthcare services remained affected at state-run hospitals in West Bengal as junior doctors continued their cease-work protest.

Heavy rush at OPDs

Heavy rush was seen at the out-patient departments on the first day of the week, with senior doctors substituting for their juniors to handle the situation.

“This protest is for seeking justice for a female doctor who faced brutality while treating patients for 36 hours at a stretch. It is the 11th day that her body was discovered, but where is the justice? We will continue this stir until we get justice for our sister,” said an agitating doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where the incident took place.

A group of lawyers practising at the Calcutta High Court also marched in a procession demanding justice and “punishment to the real culprits” in the case.

Delhi doctors check patients on road

In the national capital, medics offered elective outpatient services on the road outside Nirman Bhawan, calling it a symbolic protest, as they continued their strike for the eighth consecutive day over the Kolkata incident.

A group of doctors sat with sheets of paper showing their names and specialisations — ortho OPD, neurology OPD, psychiatry OPD — on the road in front of the office of the Ministry of Health at Nirman Bhawan.

A doctor sitting on the road to check patients said, “At the hospital, there is no safety or protection. At least here, we have police around us, so we can treat patients here. We have no option but to fight for ourselves, as nobody is doing anything besides offering us sympathy and empty assurances. The OPD we are operating here is a symbolic protest. We are both protesting and offering OPD services.”

Strike to continue in Maharashtra

Resident doctors in Maharashtra also said on Monday they would continue their strike against the heinous crime in Kolkata and to press for the implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act and their other demands.

The strike has hit patient services, with only 18 major and 61 minor surgeries performed at five big civic-run hospitals in the city during the day.

Dr Pratik Debaje, president of the Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD), told news agency PTI that a meeting of the representatives of the resident doctors’ national body with the Union health secretary did not prove fruitful. Hence, they were firm on continuing their strike, he said.

“As no positive response was received in the meeting and since they are not ready to give any written assurance, our agitation will continue,” Debaje said, hoping some directive in favour of them will come from the Supreme Court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the Kolkata incident.

All eyes on court directive

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), which has been leading the strike since August 13, said that further decisions about the agitation will be made based on the top court’s directive. The Supreme Court will hear the matter on Tuesday.

Debaje said the protesting resident doctors across Maharashtra on Monday tied rakhis on the wrists of government officials, college administrators, police, security personnel, nurses, and healthcare workers on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.

“By tying rakhis, we tried to give a message to the public that we will protect each other if the Union government fails to do so,” Debaje said.

Silent march in Mumbai

In Mumbai, resident doctors of BMC-run Sion hospital held a silent march to protest attacks on medical professionals. On Sunday, a woman doctor was assaulted at the hospital by drunk relatives of a patient.

“The silent march in the afternoon today was to protest the incidents in Kolkata and here. We are seeking safety for doctors at their workplaces,” Dr Sudeep Dhakane from Sion hospital told PTI.

In Panaji, routine services at state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital remained affected on the fourth day on Monday.

Health care impacted in Mumbai

Resident doctors in the state have been on strike since August 13 to express solidarity with their counterparts from other cities demonstrating against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 and for fulfilment of their other demands.

The indefinite strike has impacted healthcare services in Mumbai, leaving patients stranded and surgeries postponed. The number of patients treated at OPDs and casualty wards also decreased compared to the previous week, said sources from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

As per BMC data, only 18 major and 61 minor surgeries were performed in civic-run KEM, Nair, Cooper, and NHDC hospitals on Monday. Not even a single surgery was performed at Sion hospital, where resident doctors took part in a protest march inside the premises to protest the assault on a female doctor last week.

As many as 515 patients were treated at the casualty OPDs of KEM, Nair, Cooper, Sion, and NHDC hospitals on Monday, while 5,145 old (follow-up) and new patients were treated at regular OPDs during the day, as per the BMC data.

FAIMA to continue strike

Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) said they will continue with their strike as a meeting with the central government failed to reach an agreement.

“Today’s meeting between Doctors and the @MoHFW_INDIA concluded without reaching an agreement. As a result, @FAIMA_INDIA_ will continue their strike,” the FAIMA said in a post on X.

“We are now awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court for further direction on this matter,” the doctors’ body said.

Protests also took place in other parts of the country.

In Uttar Pradesh, junior doctors at medical colleges and hospitals observed “Kala Raksha Bandhan” while elective services remained disrupted for the eighth consecutive day on Monday.

UP Resident Doctors’ Association president Hardeep Jogi told PTI, “The strike by junior doctors has entered its eighth day. OPD and other services are disrupted in all the medical colleges.”

Government allows enhanced security

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has allowed enhancement of security deployment by 25 per cent at all Union government hospitals, officials said.

They said that apart from the standard security protocol, the deployment of marshals would also be approved based on individual demands by government hospitals after they conduct their security assessment.

Official sources, however, told PTI that bringing a central law based on the RG Kar hospital case “will not make any huge difference” as the alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor at the Kolkata facility was not a case of patient-doctor violence.

Crimes and rapes are already covered under existing laws, they said.

List of security measures

The sources said they have held meetings with some Residents Doctors’ Associations and have explained these aspects to them too.

The Union health ministry also issued a list of security measures to be implemented at all central government hospitals which include strict monitoring of the entry and exit and providing escort to women health professionals at night.

In a communication sent to all heads of central government hospitals, the ministry asked them to ensure adequate number of well secured duty rooms with basic amenities for female health professionals and deployment of women health professionals at night be preferably done in more than one in number.

Doctors appear before police, MP moves court

In Kolkata, senior doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami appeared before the police in connection with posts they shared on social media over the incident.

Sarkar and Goswami reached the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lal Bazar leading a march of doctors. They were asked by the police to appear before it for the posts they shared on social media.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy moved the Calcutta High Court, challenging a notice sent to him by the police in connection with a social media post he made over the incident. The court said it will hear the petition on Tuesday.

The Kolkata Police served the notice to the veteran politician on Sunday, asking him to appear before it.

In his social media post, the veteran TMC MP demanded that the CBI undertake “custodial interrogation” of Kolkata Police commissioner and former principal of RG Kar hospital in connection with its probe into the incident.

TMC seeks faster probe

Meanwhile, the ruling TMC in West Bengal demanded that the CBI expedite its probe into the case.

Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh told reporters that although the investigation by Kolkata Police was progressing well until the probe was transferred to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court on August 13, it is now the responsibility of the central agency to achieve an early breakthrough.

(With agency inputs)