Junior doctors hold mass convention on strategies to press for justice for R G Kar victim

Kolkata: Within five days of withdrawing their fast-unto-death, agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Saturday held a mass convention to strategise their next move to seek justice for the R G Kar victim and ensure that the state government fulfils their demands.

The four-hour-long mass convention held at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital was attended by doctors from various state-run medical establishments, besides representatives of civil society.

The participants also discussed the threat culture allegedly prevalent in various state-run hospitals, besides steps to be taken to exert pressure on the state government to make it fulfil their demands.

"We have called this mass convention to seek justice for our sister, who was raped and murdered at R G Kar Hospital on August 9," Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors said.

"The protest started by a few doctors has now taken a massive shape. We wanted to know what happened at the seminar hall of the hospital (where the body was found). We had no idea that this movement would continue for so long and we would get the support of so many people," Debasish Halder, another agitating doctor, said at the programme.

On October 21, the agitating junior doctors called off their fast-unto-death, which started on October 5, following a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who assured them of looking into their demands.

On Saturday, the junior doctors also alleged that there were attempts to suppress the truth about what led to the rape and murder of the on-duty doctor at the R G Kar Hospital and that there were attempts to protect the culprits behind the incident.

"We wanted to know what was the truth and that is why we had pressed for a magisterial inquiry. There have been attempts to suppress the truth. We not only want justice but we also want to cleanse the system," Kinjal Nanda, another agitating doctor, said.

The 'cease-work' initiated by the junior doctors on August 9 following the recovery of the woman doctor's body at R G Kar Hospital continued for 42 days before the West Bengal government assured them of looking into their demands.

Meanwhile, another group of doctors, who got a stay order from the Calcutta High Court regarding their suspension issued by an internal committee allegedly for promoting 'threat culture' in medical colleges and hospitals, floated the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Association on Saturday.