The junior doctors are also demanding an immediate inquiry into alleged corruption and lawlessness within the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) and the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB).
Kolkata: Despite calling off their ‘total cease work’ on Friday evening, agitating junior doctors continued their sit-in in central Kolkata throughout the night alleging that police lathi-charged a few of them during a rally to press for justice for the deceased woman doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The junior doctors called off their ‘total cease work’ at state-run medical colleges and hospitals around 8:30 pm on Friday, but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours.
“When you are fighting for a significant cause, you cannot expect things to be easy. We anticipated better treatment from the state government. The lathi charge and the verbal abuse from police were both unnecessary, and we demand an apology,” Debasish Halder, a representative of the protesting junior medics, told PTI. “We will not vacate this place until that is provided,” he added.
Medics from RG Kar Medical College, alongside their peers from various hospitals, joined the protest.
“It’s time for the state to respond and show that they are genuinely eager to resolve this issue. The clock is ticking for them,” added Aniket Mahato, another junior medic.
The ongoing demonstration caused significant disruptions to traffic, with a heavy police presence surrounding the protest site at Dorina Crossing.
The protesters emphasised that securing justice for the deceased woman medic remains their foremost priority.
Among their nine demands, they are calling for the immediate removal of state Health Secretary N S Nigam, as well as accountability for the alleged administrative incompetence and corruption within the health department.