Talks with Mamata fail; protesting RG Kar docs say they were turned away after 3-hr wait

More drama unfolded at the site of the doctors’ protest in Kolkata after none other than Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid them a surprise visit on Saturday (September 14) and urged them to come for talks while giving the assurance that their demands will be addressed.

The talks, however, couldn’t materialise as the doctors of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who have been protesting against the brutal rape and murder of their colleague while on duty, for a month now, refused to meet the chief minister claiming that they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of her residence.

Doctors miffed over 3-hour wait at CM’s doorsteps

After the protesters refused to enter Banerjee's residence due to the government's rejection of their demand for a live telecast, she came out to appeal to the doctors to join the talks and urged them "not to insult her". The chief minister also promised them that a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting would be given.

The protesters claimed that they agreed to have the meeting without the live-streaming, a key demand of theirs.

An agitating doctor, before leaving the venue, said they had agreed to attend the meeting without live-streaming or video recording as 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 and the officials had been waiting for three hours.

Meanwhile, the CBI, which is probing the incident, added charges of tampering with evidence in the rape-murder case against former RG 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.

‘My visit last attempt to resolve crisis’, says Mamata

Earlier in the day, Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site outside Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake and assured them that she would look into their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty.

Addressing the protesting doctors amid chants of 'we want justice', she described her visit as the "last attempt" to resolve the crisis.

She assured them that she would not take any action against them as she does not believe in suppressing a democratic movement. Banerjee, who was accompanied by DGP Rajiv Kumar, promised to "study their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty."

She urged them to "return to work and stated she would discuss their demands with the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and the DGP." Banerjee also urged the CBI to complete the investigation into the rape-murder case soon.

"Let the guilty be punished. I will definitely take action if anyone is found guilty," she said.

‘No action against protesters’

She noted that in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) was used to dismantle similar protests.

"I will not take any action against you. This is not UP. They had implemented ESMA and stopped all sorts of strikes and rallies. But I will not do anything of that sort. I am against taking any action against doctors. Think about my proposal. If I can come to this protest site to stand by you, I can also ensure justice and listen to your demands," she said.

Banerjee announced that all patient welfare committees at state-run hospitals, including RG Kar hospital, would be immediately dissolved and replaced with new ones led by principals and include representatives from junior and senior doctors, nurses, and police.

Later in the evening, responding to Banerjee's visit, the doctors wrote to the state government expressing their desire to sit for talks, which was readily accepted, and they were asked to come to the chief minister’s Kalighat residence.

Delay over denial to live telecast meeting

In a dramatic turn of events, the proposed talks did not take off after protesters refused to enter the venue following the state's rejection of their demand to live telecast the meeting.

In a bid to persuade the protesters, Banerjee came to the gates of her residence and appealed to the agitating doctors to join the meeting.

"I 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 provide you with a copy only after permission of the Supreme Court," she said.

"I will provide you with the signed copy of the minutes of the meeting. Today, you said you wanted a meeting, so I have been waiting. Why are you people insulting me like this? Earlier on three occasions, I have been waiting but you people didn't come," she said.

‘Too late for talks’

As the doctors huddled for an emergency meeting with the co-protesters, DGP Rajeev Kumar, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, and Bhattacharya left the venue, saying it was too late for the talks.

Before leaving the gates of the chief minister’s residence, an agitating doctor told reporters that they had agreed to attend the meeting without live-streaming or video recording, following her request.

Another doctor said when they communicated this decision to Bhattacharya, they were informed that it was too late and that they had been waiting for three hours, resulting in them being unceremoniously asked to leave the venue. The doctor said the incident reflected the true intentions of the state government.

The agitating doctors announced that their 'cease work', which has been ongoing for the last 35 days, will continue until their demands are met.

A video shared by the junior doctors showed Bhattacharya telling them to leave as it was too late.

"We have been waiting for three hours but you people didn't come inside. It's too late now," she was heard saying. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.