Kolkata doctor murder: Protesting doctors to meet with Mamata Banerjee for talks today evening

PTC News Desk: The ongoing protests by doctors over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case have led to a breakthrough in negotiations. The protesting doctors have agreed to meet with the Mamata Banerjee-led state government in an effort to resolve the deadlock regarding their return to work. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the state secretariat today at 6 p.m., and the government has requested a delegation of 10-15 doctors to attend.

The state government had previously reached out to the doctors on Tuesday, seeking a meeting despite the Supreme Court’s directive for the doctors to resume their duties by the evening of September 10. The doctors, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the initial communication, which was sent by the Health Secretary, whose removal they have been demanding.

On Wednesday morning, the doctors confirmed their willingness to engage in talks and sent an email to the Chief Minister’s Office. They expressed concern over the absence of any mention of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s presence in the initial communication and reiterated their demands in a subsequent email sent at 3:50 a.m. However, they had not received a response to this email by later that day.

In response, the Chief Secretary of West Bengal sent a revised email inviting the doctors to the meeting at 6 p.m. and reminded them of the Supreme Court’s order, which mandated their return to work by 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had intervened on Monday, directing the protesting resident doctors to resume their duties by the specified deadline. The court had also ensured that no punitive actions, including transfers, would be taken against the doctors upon their return to work, based on assurances from the West Bengal government.

The protests erupted following a tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, where a trainee doctor was found raped and murdered. The gruesome discovery of her body in a semi-naked state within the hospital’s seminar hall triggered widespread outrage and led to demands for enhanced safety measures at medical institutions.

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