Bengal medics’ stir over RG Kar rape-murder intensifies; more doctors resign

The ongoing stir by doctors in West Bengal over the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder case intensified further on Wednesday with more senior doctors in various State-run hospitals tendering their resignation and junior doctors planning to take their protest to various puja pandals in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, some doctors’ forums have announced that they will march to the CGO Complex in Salt Lake, where the CBI’s office is located, to mount pressure on the federal agency, which is probing into the rape and murder case.
On Tuesday, at least 48 senior doctors and faculty members of the RG Kar Hospital submitted a mass resignation letter and those at two other State-run facilities threatened a similar move, in support of the junior medics who have been observing an indefinite hunger strike since last week, demanding justice for their colleague, who was raped and murdered in August.
On Wednesday, several doctors at the Medical College Kolkata and North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri submitted mass resignation.
“We the senior faculty members of Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata are rendering mass resignation to protest the insensitive attitude towards justified democratic movement and deteriorating health conditions of the protesting doctors on indefinite hunger strike. Individual resignation will follow if the situation demands so,” said the resignation letter signed by the senior doctors of Medical College and Hospital.
On Tuesday, after senior doctors at RG Kar Hospital signed a mass resignation letter, a top official of the state health department said that the government didn’t receive any such communication from the doctors and that the administration would take a call if they received such communication from doctors.
The CBI on Monday filed its first charge-sheet in the case in which it charged Roy with the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The agency didn’t include any sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to gang rape suggesting that Roy was the only accused.
“On Wednesday, we three organisations of doctors and nurses will hold a rally from Karunamoyee to CGO Complex in Salt Lake. The CBI’s chargesheet is frustrating and laughable. After probing for 58-days they found Sanjay Roy, an arrested civic volunteer, to be the only accused. We believe that this is the CBI’s failure,” said Dr Biplab Chandra, a physician.
Meanwhile, the indefinite strike by seven junior doctors, which started on Saturday night, entered the fourth day on Wednesday.
Junior doctors have also planned a rally named “Abhaya Parikrama” in which they would be visiting some of the major Durga Puja pandals in the city to reach out to the citizens. Durga Puja, the biggest festival in the state, has already started and thousands of people have hit the streets for pandal hopping.
“We will visit 12 puja pandals in south and north Kolkata in vehicles. We will reach out to the citizens who are coming there and tell them about our movement and demands. We will distribute leaflets and speak to the people. Our demands are not just related to gearing up security in hospitals, but they also include strengthening infrastructure in government hospitals, which will benefit the citizens,” said a junior doctor.