West Bengal: Twelve-hour shut down in hospitals over attack on NRS junior doctors
Kolkata, Jun 12 (IBNS): A 12-hour shut down in hospitals began on Wednesday to mark the protest against the attack on a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital by relatives of a patient who died, media reports said.
The junior doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhayay is in critical condition.
The trouble ensued after a 75-year old man- Kolkata's Tangra resident Md. Sayeed- died on Monday evening. But the victim's family alleged that the negligence of the hospital and medics led to the death. Trouble cropped up and after heated words were exchanged things worsened. The doctors were brutally attacked by the patient's family and supporters turning the hospital premises a battleground.
A strike was called by the junior doctors in all government hospitals across the state on Tuesday with the doctors continuting their stir though reportedly five people were held in the attack. The outdoor facilities were also hit. The OPD at the government hospitals will remain shut from 9:00 am. to 9:00 pm because of the stir.
The agitating doctors have demanded a statement from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on preventing such incidents though the state's health minister Chandrima Bhattacharya met the doctors and assured of strong action.
People reacted angiriy to the incident as it took a communal colour too. One of the tweets with images of the injured junior doctors reads: "This is what happened when 200 people came by trucks and attacked doctors."
This is what happened when 200 people came by trucks and attacked Doctors and interns at NRS Hospital. They thrashed an intern's skull bcz a 85 yrs old man died. It doesnt feel safe living in WB nowadays. It's a goon's era we are living in. The protest must go on. #standwithnrs pic.twitter.com/9WkqH2XHOI
— Nabanita Das (@nabanita_speaks) June 11, 2019
The medics put up posters and placards on the front gate and wall of the campus saying they were not against the services but needed security from being attacked by the outsiders. The medics and patient party dispute after death is not new in the city where both doctors and patients fighting against each other openly.
Senior BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Locket Chatterjee visited NRS and later blamed that a section of Trinamool people from a particular community were behind the attack.
Dr Indranil Khan, ABVP vice-president, West Bengal, said, " The ABVP demands immediate arrest of the assailants by identifying the attackers from CCTV and social media videos and be booked under IPC Section 320 (Grievous Injury) among other sections."
"We pray for the recovery of the injured junior doctors of NRS Medical College and at the same time express our concern on the deteriorating law and order situation in the heart of Kolkata along with other parts of the state," Dr Khan said and urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to look into such attacks on government officers on duty and punish the attackers irrespective of their political or any other identity.
"Doctors don’t see colour during discharge of their duties nor should colour be a criteria for not arresting the attacker of a government officer on duty," he said adding, "Mobocracy cannot be the order of the day and can never be tolerated. Any allegation of medical negligence can be addressed through appropriate forums and doesn’t require mob terror."
"We will be submitting a detailed report on this violence to the Governor and Union Health Minister, " stated Dr Khan.
West Bengal junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya went to the spot to convince the agitating doctors to withdraw their protest. However, the protesters refused to budge.
Image Credit: Screenshot grab from NDTV
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