RG Kar tragedy: Protest march by doctors to Bengal health department HQ starts

In the light of rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College last month, a protest march by thousands of doctors from all over the state towards Swastha Bhavan, West Bengal health department's headquarters here, has started.

The protesting medical representatives include senior and junior doctors, medical students and representatives from the nursing fraternity.

Fresh demands of the protesting representatives of the medical fraternity include the suspension of the state's Health Secretary, Director of Health Services and Director of Medical Education.

The protest march has started from Karunamoyee crossing, also at Salt Lake, and is slowly approaching Swastha Bhavan, which has been wrapped under security cover by the cops of Bidhannagar City Police, under whose jurisdiction the state health department headquarters comes.

“Our protest march today is not just condemning the ghastly tragedy at RG Kar. We are also protesting against the total lawlessness going on in all the state-run medical colleges and hospitals in the state under the patronage of people like Sandip Ghosh and his gang,” said a protester.

Ghosh the former and controversial principal of RG Kar has already been arrested by CBI on charges of financial irregularities at the hospital. Some of his confidants have been suspended by both the state health department as well as the state medical council

The prime allegation against these suspended doctors is that they created a “threat culture” in the state-run medical colleges and hospitals using their clout in the ruling dispensation.

The protest march is being carried out despite an observation by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday that unless the junior doctors return to duty by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the apex court will be unable to intervene if the state government initiates any proceedings against them in the matter.

Echoing the observation of the apex court, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, too, earlier in the day, issued an appeal to the junior doctors to rejoin duty.

However, unnerved by the deadline articulated by the apex court in its observation and the following statement by the Chief Minister asking the protesting junior doctors to be back on duty, the latter have announced their stand of continued protests.