RG Kar rape-murder: Resident doctors in Delhi to protest outside Bengal Bhawan

New Delhi: Resident doctors from major hospitals in Delhi will hold a protest outside the Bengal Bhawan in the national capital on Wednesday evening to demand justice for the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The protest was announced was the Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee late Tuesday night.

Resident doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College and others will participate in the protest which will be held at 6 pm on Wednesday, a statement said.

The protest is part of a wider movement that began on August 12 with a pan-India strike against the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and lasted until August 22. It was temporarily suspended after assurances from the Supreme Court that justice would be expedited, the statement said.

However, the investigation has "stalled" with no action taken report (ATR) shared publicly, as was highlighted during a recent Supreme Court hearing, it said.

The case has brought the issue of healthcare worker safety, especially for female doctors, to the forefront, the RDA said.

"We suspended our strike in good faith, trusting the process, but now we feel betrayed," a representative of the Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee said.

"The lack of communication and delayed action shows an alarming lack of sensitivity toward our safety concerns," the representative said.

During a hearing on August 20, the Supreme Court established a National Task Force (NTF) to address safety concerns, with an interim report expected within three weeks and a final report within two months.

Over 50 days have since passed without any report, prompting outrage among resident doctors who feel their concerns are being ignored, the statement said.

It claimed the West Bengal government has failed to reassure the agitating junior doctors, many of whom are on a hunger strike.

The Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee will hold a press conference on Thursday on these issues and make it clear that if any harm comes to any healthcare worker as a result of this ongoing struggle, they will withdraw from both elective and emergency services and hold the appropriate authorities responsible for any repercussions, the statement said.

The junior doctors of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have been protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a colleague on August 9. The incident took place when the trainee doctor had gone to sleep in the hospital's seminar room during a break.

The junior doctors went on "cease work" following the incident. They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.

However, they began a hunger strike at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata on October 5, claiming that the government did not fulfil their demands.

Some of the demands of the protesters are justice for their colleague, immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at their workplaces.