Page 6 - Doctors Protests

RG Kar case: 30-member team of junior docs to attend meeting with CM Mamata

Welcoming the Bengal government's positive response to hold talks in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse, agitating junior doctors Thursday announced their decision to attend the proposed meeting at the state secretariat within the stipulated time of 5 pm. The medics, however, declared that they would stick to their original demand of taking part in the meeting with 30 members instead of 15 people as mandated by the state government. The protesters also stated they would not settle for anything less than a live stream of the talks, which had earlier been rejected by the state chief secretary in its latest invitation for the meeting. We welcome the chief secretary's invitation and confirmation that the CM would be present at the meeting. We will attend the meeting with an open mind, but it has to be centred around the issue of providing justice to our colleague and ensuring security for doctors across the state, a protesting doctor ...

RG Kar doctor rape-murder: CBI questions TMC MLA Sudipto Roy at residence

CBI sleuths on Thursday questioned Trinamool Congress MLA Sudipto Roy in connection with the RG Kar rape and murder case. A team of CBI officials on Friday afternoon reached the residence of Roy, who is also a doctor, in Sinthee area on the northern fringes of Kolkata and questioned him in connection with their investigation into the case. Roy, who is president of the RG Kar Patient's Welfare Committee, said he has cooperated with sleuths of the central agency. "CBI sleuths had come to question me regarding the investigation into the death of a student at RG Kar hospital last month. I cooperated with them," Roy, who is MLA of Serampore assembly constituency, said. Protests of doctors began after the body of a postgraduate trainee was found at the hospital on August 9. A civic volunteer has been arrested in connection with the case, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting a probe following a Calcutta High Court order. The CBI had last week arrested former princ

Bengal doctors' protest: Medicos set fresh demands, government remains firm

Thousands of junior doctors have been staging a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata, the headquarters of the Health Department, since Tuesday

Jr doctors in WB continue 'cease work', sit-in over medic's rape-murder

Junior doctors on Thursday continued their sit-in outside the West Bengal Health Department's office as well as their 'cease work' over the alleged rape and murder of a young medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The agitating doctors have been demonstrating outside Swathya Bhavan', the state health department headquarters, for over 40 hours. The government had Wednesday rejected their demands for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's presence and a live broadcast as preconditions for talks to resolve the impasse. A large number of police personnel have been deployed in and around Swathya Bhavan' at Salt Lake, and traffic movement was regulated. "We will continue our agitation and cease work'. But, we did not want to continue this. The state government is not open to holding any meeting with us. And, we want to make it clear that there is no politics behind our stir," one of the protesting doctors told PTI. Meanwhile, healthcare services at state-run hospitals remained crippled

RG Kar hospital incident: Doctors seek transparent talks with state govt

Dr Arnab Mukhopadhya on Thursday said we have all the discussion channels open, but our prerequisite conditions aren't unfair

Inquiry committee defers hearing of 51 doctors of RG Kar by two days

Authorities of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday deferred the hearing of the 51 doctors who were issued notice for allegedly promoting a culture of intimidation, endangering the democratic atmosphere of the institution, an official said. The next date of the hearing is likely to be Friday, he added. The RG Kar Medical College and Hospital had on Monday issued a notice to 51 doctors for promoting a culture of intimidation, endangering the democratic atmosphere of the institution and asked them to appear before the committee on September 11. They have to prove their innocence before the committee, the notice said. The decision was taken by the Special Council Committee of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and access to the institution's campus has been restricted for the 51 doctors unless summoned by the inquiry committee. The list includes senior residents, house staff, interns and professors. RG Kar Hospital has been rocked by protests by junior doctors foll

RG Kar protest: Doctors demand live broadcast, CM's presence in meet

The West Bengal government has invited the junior doctors, who have been on a cease work for over a month, to a meeting to resolve the standoff over the alleged rape-murder of a woman medic, with the doctors insisting that the discussion be held in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's presence and broadcast live. The government's invitation, sent via email at 3:49 am on Wednesday, proposed a discussion at the state secretariat, Nabanna, at 6 pm the same day. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant urged the doctors to send a delegation of 12 to 15 members to the meeting and indicated that a positive response would be appreciated. The invitation did not confirm whether Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be present. Pant's letter also addressed the doctors' defiance of a Supreme Court order to resume duties by 5 pm on Tuesday. "You will, no doubt, appreciate and agree that as a law-abiding citizen, it is everyone's bounden duty to adhere to these directions. Unfortunately, it has not been adhered

Kolkata doctor's mother accuses Mamata Banerjee of lying about compensation

'The chief minister is lying... She did offer us money and suggested we create something in memory of my daughter', alleged Kolkata doctor's mother

Court sends RG Kar's ex-principal Ghosh to judicial custody till Sep 23

Former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody till September 23 by a special CBI court in the financial irregularities case. The court also sent his security personnel Afsar Ali and two alleged associates, contractors Vendors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, to judicial custody till September 23. The CBI told the court that it would seek their custody again if required. Ghosh was arrested by the CBI on charges of financial irregularities on September 2 amid protests over the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar MCH. On September 3, the court had sent him to eight days in CBI custody.

Kolkata rape-murder: Doctors want demands met before returning to work

The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front said it would 'consider' the court's order only if its demands were tackled by the deadline

Medic rape-murder: Junior docs' ceasework to continue despite SC's order

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Monday evening said they would continue their cease work' to demand justice for the RG Kar hospital medic who was raped and murdered, despite Supreme Court directions to resume duties by 5 pm on Tuesday. Demanding the resignation of the state's health secretary and director of health education (DHE), the striking medics said that they would also take out a rally to 'Swasthya Bhavan' the headquarters of the health department in Salt Lake on Tuesday noon. "Our demands are unfulfilled and justice is not meted out to the victim. We will continue our agitation as well as the cease work'. We want the health secretary and DHE to resign. Tomorrow noon, we will hold a rally to the Swasthya Bhavan," one of the protesting doctors told PTI after their governing body meeting here. The body of the postgraduate trainee was found with injury marks in a seminar room of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. She was allegedly raped and .

Construction work at RG Kar hospital not to shield anyone: CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday rejected claims that the construction work near the seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here was intended to tamper with evidence. She clarified that the work was for building retiring rooms and washrooms for doctors, not for obstructing the rape-murder probe of the woman medic. Banerjee emphasised that the absence of a retiring room had forced the deceased woman medic to rest in the seminar hall. "There was no intention other than to build a retiring room there. Because there was no such room, the woman doctor had to go to the seminar hall to rest. We decided to build the retiring room-cum-washroom so that doctors do not have to rest in the seminar hall," she said. "There are talks that evidence was tampered with to protect someone... But whom and why should we do that? Remember, nobody is our friend or foe. Law will take its course," she added. Addressing the issue at the state secretariat, Banerjee asserted, .

Mamata Banerjee calls bribery allegations in doctor's rape case 'slander'

'I have never offered any money to the deceased doctor's family. This is nothing but slander', said Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata rape-murder: SC voices concern over absence of document for autopsy

The Supreme Court on Monday voiced concern over the absence of a key document that was needed for the postmortem of the medic raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, and asked the CBI to investigate into it. The top court also directed the protesting resident doctors in West Bengal to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said no adverse action shall be taken against them on resumption of work. The court passed the direction after the West Bengal government assured it that no action, including punitive transfers, shall be taken against the protesting doctors on resumption of work. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said there was no reference of the 'challan' (document) used, and sought an answer from the CBI and the West Bengal government. "Where is the challan of the body when it was handed over for postmortem? the bench also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, informed the

Conspiracy by Centre, left parties behind RG Kar protests: CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that the Centre was conspiring over public outcry involving the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at a state-run hospital last month. She also claimed that some Left parties were involved in it. Speaking at an administrative review meeting at the state secretariat- Nabanna, Banerjee also claimed she had never offered money to the deceased doctor's parents, dismissing a campaign that the family members of the postgraduate trainee were offered money. Banerjee urged people to "return to festivities" as Durga puja is round the corner. "I have never offered money to the deceased doctor's family, this is nothing but slander. I have told the parents that if they wanted to do something in their daughter's memory, our government is with them. I know when to speak what," Banerjee said. "This (protest following RG Kar incident) is definitely a conspiracy by the Centre and some Left parties are also involved in it. Some people are

TMC MP Jawhar Sircar quits, calls Mamata's handling of RG Kar stir 'faulty'

Jawhar Sircar attributed the ongoing public anger in West Bengal to the unchecked power of certain individuals in the Trinamool Congress party

Punjab docs begin 3-day strike, patients suffer as OPD services suspended

Government doctors in Punjab on Monday suspended outpatient department (OPD) services for three hours across the state to press for their demands, including reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme and adequate security measures for healthcare workers. The protest, being held under the banner of Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, will continue till September 11 in district and sub-divisional hospitals, and community health centres, said the protesting doctors. Many patients visiting these government hospitals were inconvenienced as the OPD services remained suspended from 8 am to 11 am. However, emergency services continued. President of PCMS Association (Patiala unit) Dr Sumeet Singh said the reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme (ACP) is one of the main demands of the protesting doctors. Unlike other departments, doctors do not have many avenues of promotion through the course of their career, which was compensated through the annual

Streets to global stage: Kolkata rape-murder outrage intensifies a month on

Thousands of Indian community members staged protests in over 130 cities across 25 countries including in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Sweden and Singapore on Sunday

Medic rape-murder: Protesters take to streets demanding justice for victim

Slogans demanding justice for the RG Kar rape-murder victim reverberated the air at the stroke of midnight on Sunday across Kolkata and many other cities and towns in West Bengal. Protesters, both women and men, young and old took to the streets, forming human chains, writing graffiti on the roads, holding burning torches and singing the national anthem as many waved the tricolour, the only flag allowed in the apolitical rallies across the state by the civil society, to register their protest against the murder of the young doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital a month ago on August 9. With the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the suo motu case related to the crime on Monday, many participants in the third instance of 'Reclaim the night' in the state said they were confident that justice will be provided by the apex court. While some named the victim doctor 'Tilottama', many others referred to her as 'Abhaya', but all were together in their quest for justice for her. Every

RG Kar hospital incident: Victim's mother says all protesting her children

People from all walks of life - former students of several educational institutions, clay modellers, rickshaw pullers and junior doctors separately hit the streets of Kolkata on Sunday in continued protest over the rape and murder of a medic in a state-run hospital a month ago. Demanding the arrest of all culprits in the case, the mother of the post-graduate trainee whose body was found in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 said she had one child and now all the protesting medics are her children. In south Kolkata, around 4,000 former students of over 40 schools, a large number of them women, walked a distance of 2 km demanding justice for the victim. The former students of various ages chanted 'We Want Justice' as they walked along Rash Behari Avenue to the crossing of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Road from Gariahat. Ex-students of institutes like Binodini Girls School, Mitra Institution, Garfa High School, Carmel High School and St John's Diocesan took part in the ...