KOLKATA — Junior medical doctors from varied authorities hospitals, together with group members, took to the streets on Sunday, holding torch rallies throughout town to demand justice for a physician murdered at R G Kar Hospital. The demonstrations that additionally referred to as for improved safety measures for medical workers in state-run services, got here a day earlier than the Supreme Courtroom listening to on the case.
The rallies had been organized from a number of key places, together with R G Kar Hospital, Sagore Dutta Hospital, SSKM Hospital, Calcutta Medical Faculty, and Jadavpur in South Kolkata. Individuals burdened the pressing want for justice for the sufferer, a postgraduate trainee, whereas advocating for enhanced security protocols for healthcare staff.
On September 27, junior medical doctors had referred to as on the general public to take part in protests statewide, expressing solidarity forward of the Supreme Courtroom listening to scheduled for Monday. After a month-long agitation, these medical doctors returned to work however indicated a possible return to a complete “stop work” if the state authorities fails to ensure their security throughout the court docket proceedings.
The rallies converged at vital metropolis intersections, together with Esplanade, Shyambazar, Park Circus, and Gariahat. Organized by the West Bengal Junior Docs’ Entrance, an umbrella group representing medics from varied medical school hospitals, the occasions highlighted the necessity to get rid of a “risk tradition” in medical establishments, the place college students reportedly face intimidation.
At Sagore Dutta Hospital, junior medical doctors performed a torch and candle march following an incident on Friday night time, by which outsiders allegedly assaulted medical workers after a affected person’s demise. This incident prompted the medics to strike, demanding higher safety measures.
As individuals marched from Sagore Dutta Hospital to Dunlop Crossing on the outskirts of Kolkata, they carried candles and torches, illustrating their demand for security and justice. The protests had been ignited by the alleged assault on three medical doctors and three nurses on the hospital, which the medics claimed underscored the federal government’s failure to satisfy guarantees of safety.
In response to the escalating state of affairs, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma visited R G Kar Medical Faculty and Hospital on Sunday afternoon to overview safety preparations forward of the Supreme Courtroom listening to. He interacted with police personnel and performed a tour of the hospital’s emergency division.
The backdrop of the protests features a troubling incident on August 15, when a mob vandalized the hospital’s emergency division, following a Calcutta Excessive Courtroom order to switch the rape-murder investigation from Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Town police are at present investigating this incident.
The Calcutta Excessive Courtroom, addressing allegations of a threatening setting in medical faculties, directed the state authorities on September 26 to file an affidavit responding to claims made in a public curiosity litigation (PIL). The petitioners have alleged a number of points, together with intimidation, sale of reply keys for examinations, bribery, corruption, and sexual harassment inside state-run medical establishments.
