New Delhi: With demands for “accountability” and the “arrest of the culprits involved” for the rape and murder of the doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum and the Joint Platform of Doctors reached the national capital to seek justice and transparency in the case proceedings.
The doctors from Kolkata held a press conference in Delhi yesterday. “We have come in front of the national media to address the nation about the heinous crime. We are here to bring justice to our colleague, who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar medical college on 9 August,” said Dr Deepayan Bishrash, one of the junior resident doctors.
Senior doctors, including Dr Subarna Goswami, additional general secretary of All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA) and Dr Punyabarta Gun, one of the joint conveners of West Bengal’s Joint Platform of Doctors alleged “cover-up by the highest level of administration”.
“The meeting should be conducted in a transparent manner. Junior doctors must be included in the process to ensure their demands are heard, and the government’s response should be documented through videography or live streaming. Why is the government reluctant to face junior doctors on live stream? Our primary demand is timely justice in this case,” said Dr Goswami, addressing media persons.
Meetings with the CM
The junior doctors claimed that the last two meetings with the government officials were fruitless due to the government’s “lack of transparency”.
“We requested transparency by asking for the meeting to be live-streamed or at least recorded—either by us or by their team, with the recording shared later. But that didn’t happen,” Dr Vikresh Chakraborty said. “The doctors had to leave after being told that the chief minister had waited for two and a half hours and was no longer available. The second time, too, our demand for transparency wasn’t met and we were asked to leave, despite the doctors standing outside the CM’s residence in heavy rain.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with the protesting doctors for the fifth time yesterday, following which the chief minister has decided to reassign some key officials in the Kolkata Police and the state’s health department, including Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal. She also announced the replacement of the Director of Medical Education (DME), Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Deputy Commissioner (North Division), who reportedly attempted to pay off the parents of the RG Kar Hospital victim.
The removal of these officials was one of the key demands of the protesting doctors.
Other demands
Backed by resident doctors from top Delhi hospitals, including AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung and Babasaheb Ambedkar, junior doctors from West Bengal reiterated their demands in detail at the press conference, which include an expedited investigation process into the RG Kar matter.
The doctors also proposed structural changes for enhanced security in hospitals and government healthcare centres. These include separate restrooms for male and female doctors, adequate security personnel, CCTV coverage, deployment of female security personnel for women doctors, and panic buttons in each on-call room. Similar measures should be implemented for on-duty nurses, the doctors demanded.
Additionally, they have called for a proper referral system within the state’s healthcare system, including the implementation of a centrally monitored real-time bed vacancy and occupancy information system in all government hospitals. They have also advocated for professional counsellors to facilitate interactions between doctors, patients and their families, a gender audit in all state hospitals, and the formation of Internal Complaints Committees in accordance with Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The West Bengal doctors also highlighted the numerous threats that they have been facing, such as eviction from hostels, failure in exams and withholding of internship completion certificates, apart from mental harassment.
Another one of their key demands is an end to the “culture of threats” prevalent in government healthcare facilities. They have also requested the issuance of an order to recognise all resident doctors’ associations in medical colleges as “legal entities”, action against those accused of making threats, proper and transparent housestaff counselling, and elimination of stray vacancies, backdoor entries and non-elected student units.
At the press conference, the doctors also alleged that there have been attempts to destroy the evidence.
“Since the day of the incident, we have witnessed extreme administrative failure on the part of the hospital administration and the Kolkata police. It is extremely shameful that efforts have been made to destroy evidence and protect the real culprits since day one,” said Dr Anisha Basu from the RG Kar Hospital.
She also said that the special investigation team had raised many questions on the day of the incident—why the complete CCTV footage was not shown, what the rush was to cremate the body, and why the FIR was lodged after 14 hours.
The Delhi Doctors Association also warned that they are ready to take to the streets again if these demands are not met.
“We stand firm, rooted to our cause in finding justice despite all the threats posed at us and our movement,” the doctors asserted.
Former RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh and Inspector Abhijit Mondol of Tala Police Station had been remanded to the custody of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) until 17 September after appearing before the additional chief judicial magistrate in Sealdah Sunday.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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