West Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant on Wednesday wrote a letter to the protesting junior doctors inviting them to come to the state secretariat Nabanna at 6 pm for talks to end their indefinite cease-work that was launched after a young medic’s alleged rape and murder at city’s RG Kar Hospital on August 9.
“It is important to take serious note that the common people have been deprived of your vital services, compassionate care and the healing touch over the past 32 days.” Pant’s letter said.
The letter, in which the Chief Secretary asked the doctors to limit their delegation’s strength to 15, was in response to an email sent by the protesting medics to the chief minister’s office (CMO) at 3.49 am expressing their desire to meet Mamata Banerjee to end the logjam.
The doctors have been demanding punishment for the murderer of the woman doctor and resignation of city police commissioner and three top health officials, including the principal health secretary.
However, Pant’s letter had no mention of their demands but referred to Monday’s Supreme Court order directing the
junior doctors to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday – a deadline which the doctors refused to follow.
The medics, under the umbrella of West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, on Tuesday refused to go to the secretariat following an invitation from the principal health secretary. State Junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left her chamber at 7.30 pm on Tuesday after waiting for the doctors who did not turn up for talks.
A representative of the doctors said on Wednesday, “Our demands stand firm – the resignation of health department’s top three officials and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.”
The protesting doctors alleged that the top cop and three health officials were responsible for tampering with the crime scene where the murder took place in the R G Kar Hospital.
While the doctors continued shouting slogans through the night they were joined by many senior doctors and common people who also provided refreshments to the agitators.
The parents of the murdered doctor also joined the medics at midnight to demand justice.
Last month, agitating doctors had met Kolkata Police Commissioner Goyal and handed him a memorandum urging him to step down.
