In Kolkata, a second attempt at dialogue between the West Bengal government and junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate resident doctor at RG Kar Medical College was halted due to a demand for live-streaming the meeting. The prolonged agitation has severely affected healthcare services in the city. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the protest site earlier on Saturday to initiate discussions, invited a 30-member delegation of junior doctors to her home in Kalighat.
However, the doctors refused to enter without their demand for live-streaming being met. Banerjee, after waiting for over an hour, requested them to enter, offering to record the proceedings but stating that the video could not be released immediately due to the case being under the Supreme Court’s purview. She promised to provide minutes of the meeting instead and later release the video with court approval.
The junior doctors insisted on receiving a copy of the recording, but Banerjee said this would require approval from the Supreme Court. Frustrated, Banerjee expressed her disappointment, stating, “Why are you disrespecting me? I have been waiting for three days.” Despite her efforts to engage, the doctors held firm, leading Banerjee to return inside her residence.
Health minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and chief secretary Manoj Pant left after 45 minutes, and by then, the junior doctors had agreed to accept the minutes of the meeting. However, they were reportedly told it was too late to proceed.
Disappointed by the failed talks, one of the protesting doctors expressed frustration, saying, “We had faith in the CM, but this is what we received in return.” The doctors, returning to their protest site, learned about the arrests of former RG Kar College principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala police station’s officer-in-charge, both linked to the August 9 crime. This development reinforced the doctors’ demands, with one doctor stating, “It just proves all our demands are justified.”
Earlier, the victim’s parents welcomed Banerjee’s visit to the protest site, urging her to address the doctors’ five-point demands promptly.
