Kolkata doctor case: Junior medics begin fast unto death ahead of Durga Puja

Junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital began a hunger strike on Saturday evening, stating that their demands had not been met by the West Bengal government.
The fasting doctors include 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.
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Dr Sayantani, West Bengal Junior Doctors Front told ANI, “Till the time our demands of justice on humanitarian grounds is not fulfilled, we will sit here… Before her rape and murder, Abhaya went through multiple threats… Anyone could have been ‘Abhaya’. It is our responsibility that there is no more ‘Abhaya’. On one hand, we are sitting on a hunger strike, while on the other we see a minor girl was raped and murdered.”
She added, “Many cases similar to RG Kar have happened after 9 August, still, all doctors except the six of us sitting here, have gone back to their duties to ensure no one faces any trouble during Navratr.”
With three days left before the Durga Puja festivities start, the doctors had on Friday begun a sit-in demonstration at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata, setting a 24-hour deadline for the state government to fulfil their demands.
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The state would be held responsible if any doctor fell ill during the fast, the junior doctor said.
“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.
“We returned to duty last night but will not eat anything,” one junior doctor stated, noting that six doctors were currently on a hunger strike.
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“We hold the state responsible if any doctor falls ill during the fast,” the junior doctor added. “We have the support of the people, which gives us the strength to face any obstacles from the administration. We will continue our hunger strike until our demands are met.”
Many members of the public and a few celebrities attended the protest site in the evening.
Among their nine demands, the junior doctors call for the immediate removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, seeking accountability for alleged administrative incompetence and corruption within the Health Department, PTI reported.
Additional demands include establishing a centralized referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementing a bed vacancy monitoring system, and creating task forces to ensure essential provisions such as CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
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They also advocate for increased police protection in hospitals, the recruitment of permanent female police personnel, and the expedited filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
The junior doctors went on “cease work” following the rape-murder of a fellow medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government of looking into their demands.
(With inputs from agencies)