Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: Junior Doctors Intensify Protest, Begin Fast Unto Death

Junior doctors in Kolkata began a hunger strike on Saturday evening, accusing the West Bengal government of failing to address their demands.

The doctors have been protesting for justice following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

Photo Credit: PTI

On Friday, the doctors initiated a sit-in protest at Dorina Crossing in Kolkata's Dharmatala, giving the Bengal government a 24-hour deadline to meet their demands.

Their 42-day-long protest had previously ended on September 21 after lengthy discussions with the state government.

"The state government has failed the deadline and hence we are starting the fast unto death, which will continue till our demands are fulfilled. To maintain transparency, we have installed CCTV cameras at the dais where our colleagues are holding the fast," a junior doctor told PTI.

The protesting doctors stated that they have resumed their duties but will not consume any food. Six doctors have begun the hunger strike, and they asserted that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government would be held accountable if anything happens to them.

The six doctors were identified as Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja, and Anustup Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Arnab Mukhopadhyay from SSKM, Pulastha Acharya from NRS Medical College and Hospital, and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra from KPC Medical College.

The doctors also claimed that the police had denied permission to set up a dais at the protest site and had used force against peaceful demonstrators. However, Kolkata police explained that the area is a high-traffic zone and requested a formal complaint regarding the lathi-charge.

The doctors' demands include nine key points, with the most contentious being the removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam.

Other demands involve setting up a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementing a bed vacancy monitoring system, and forming task forces to ensure basic provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.

The woman doctor was discovered dead inside the seminar hall of the state-run hospital on August 9, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now leading the inquiry into the case.