RG Kar impasse: Delegation of junior doctors reach Kalighat for meeting with CM Mamata Banerjee at her residence
The bus carrying a delegation of junior doctors, who are protesting the rape and murder of a female medic in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Kolkata, has reached Kalighat area in south Kolkata where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited them for a meeting. According to reports at 630 pm, they are inside the premises of the Chief Minister after all the formalities but the meeting had not started till 7 pm.
The meeting will take place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora.
"We are going for the meeting with our five-point demands," one of the protesting doctors told media.
"We are having our own stenographer to ensure a transparency is maintained during the meeting," another protesting doctor said.
According to latest reports, the stenographers were allowed inside.
The meeting was initially scheduled to take place at 5 pm as invited by the CM.
In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it has been cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing the matter is in the court.
"We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before- there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter.
The junior doctors' five point demand includes removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system.
What happened last week?
On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister.
After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially.
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After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day.
While the government is aiming to talk about safety issues in hospitals, the junior doctors' five demands include justice for the victim, disciplinary action against now arrested ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, resignation of Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and two other top police officers, enhancing security at hospitals and elimination of the alleged threat culture.
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