Page 11 - Kolkata

Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctor hospitalised during hunger strike

Kolkata case: A junior doctor, who has been on a hunger strike, was hospitalised due to health issues, marking the fourth such case among protesting doctors

World's largest cargo plane Beluga XL makes a landing at Kolkata airport

The Beluga XL aircraft, the world's largest cargo plane, made another landing at Kolkata airport on Monday morning, an official said. The aircraft arrived here at 5.47 am from the Tianjin Binhai International Airport in China. The purpose of the stop is crew rest, FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) and refuelling, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said. It is scheduled to depart at 3.30 pm on Tuesday and head to Bahrain International Airport, he said. The aircraft was expected to return to Kolkata on October 13 but it got delayed by almost 24 hours, the AAI spokesperson said. Kolkata got its first glance at the Beluga XL, which is also the biggest Airbus Beluga series aircraft, when it landed at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on October 8. The Beluga XL is the upgraded and bigger version of Beluga ST. The overall length of the aircraft is 207 ft, with a height of 62 ft and wing span of 197 ft and 10 inches, according to data on the Airbus

RG Kar impasse: Another doctor hospitalised, rest continue fast-unto-death

Another agitating junior doctor, who has been on fast-unto-death since October 5, was on Sunday night rushed to a hospital after his health deteriorated, an official at the medical establishment said. Pulastha Acharya of the NRS Medical College and Hospital was taken to the hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain, he said. With Acharya, the total number of junior doctors who have been hospitalised in the course of their fasting protest reached four. Aniket Mahato of RG Kar Medical and Hospital, Anustup Majumdar of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, and Alok Verma of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital were needed medical care earlier after a deterioration in their health. "Pulastha is in the CCU and his parameters have deteriorated. We have formed a medical board to treat him," a senior doctor of the NRS Medical College and Hospital told PTI. At the beginning, 11 junior doctors were on a fast-unto-death demanding justice for the a woman medic of the RG Kar ..

Over 77 docs at Kalyani JNM Hospital threaten to resign over RG Kar case

Over 75 senior doctors at West Bengal's Kalyani JNM Hospital have threatened a mass resignation, seeking justice for the RG Kar hospital victim, and expressing solidarity with junior medics on a fast-unto-death to press for their demands. A total of 77 doctors of the medical facility have informed the Registrar of West Bengal Health University via email about their decision to stop work, starting October 14. They cited mental devastation and inability to work in the current state of mind among the reasons behind the move. In their communication, the doctors said they stand in solidarity with the junior medics on a fast-unto-death, whose health is deteriorating. They also expressed concern over the apparent lack of visible effort from the state government to resolve the issue. The agitators have been demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital medic who was raped and murdered, immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, workplace security and other measures. The Kalyani JNM Hosp

RK Kar row: IMA writes to CM Mamata on fast unto death by junior docs

Expressing concern over the deteriorating health conditions of the agitating junior doctors, who are on fast unto death, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and sought her immediate intervention. In the letter, IMA president RV Asokan said the West Bengal government was entirely capable of meeting all their demands. "It has been almost a week since the young doctors of Bengal are on fast-unto-death struggle. The IMA supports their just demands. They deserve your immediate attention. The government of West Bengal is entirely capable of meeting all the demands," he said in the letter dated October 10, which was made public on Friday. "Peaceful ambience and security are not a luxury. They are a prerequisite. We appeal to your goodself to settle the issues with the young generation doctors as an elder and the Head of the Government. The entire medical fraternity of India is concerned and trust you would be able to save their lives. If

RG Kar horror: Doc's hunger strike reaches Day 6, one in critical condition

Junior doctors agitating over the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital continued their fast unto death for the sixth day on Friday, even as the condition of one of the medics on hunger strike, who was hospitalised, remained "critical", health officials said. Aniket Mahato was admitted to the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Thursday night after his health condition deteriorated due to continuous fasting since Sunday. A five-member medical board was constituted to oversee the treatment of Mahato, the health officials said. "He was brought to the hospital in an unconscious condition. His condition is critical. He has been provided with oxygen and other necessary treatment for a patient who has not consumed water for the past few days. His condition is quite unstable," Dr (Prof) Soma Mukhopadhyay, CCU in charge of the hospital, told PTI. "We hope that he will improve in the next few days. We have formed a five-member team," she said. Meanwhile, th

RG Kar case: Doctors continue fast unto death amid Durga Puja festivities

The junior doctors, agitating over the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital, continued their fast unto death for the fifth day on Thursday amid the Durga Puja festivities across West Bengal. At 9.30 am, the fast by the nine junior doctors of various medical colleges entered its 108th hour. The junior doctors began the fast unto death on Saturday evening at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata after ending the total cease work that had crippled healthcare services. Meanwhile, the state government convened a meeting on Wednesday evening with the protestors but failed to break the deadlock. Following the meeting, which was chaired by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, the protesting doctors alleged that they received nothing concrete from the state except "verbal assurances". "Our friends have been protesting without food for over four days, and the government says it will consider our demands only in the third week of October, after the pujas. We n

RG Kar victim's parents protest, Aparna Sen urges CM to visit medics

Parents of the RG Kar hospital victim demonstrated in front of their residence in West Bengals North 24 Parganas district demanding justice for their deceased daughter on Wednesday, two months after they lost her. The 31-year-old post-graduate trainee, who was on duty, was allegedly raped and murdered in the state-run medical college on August 9, triggering a nationwide outrage. The parents said that they would continue their demonstration till Mahadasami, the last day of the Durga Puja festival, on Saturday. "We do not have our Durga with me. I had never thought of seeing this day even in my nightmare. We used to have Durga Pujas in my home, but now we are sitting here after our Durga left us. We will sit here till Dashami," her father said. He added that they would not allow any political figure at their demonstration. We haven't invited anyone, but anyone who wants to join is welcome. However, they must not take the stage as we want to avoid any political influences," he said.

RG Kar case: Junior doctors to distribute leaflets at Kolkata puja pandals

Agitating junior doctors will distribute leaflets outlining their demands for justice for their murdered colleague at various Durga Puja pandals across the city on Wednesday besides holding a blood donation camp, one of the agitating medics said. "Tomorrow we will hold a blood donation camp and distribute leaflets at various puja pandals, highlighting our demands. The mass resignation of our senior doctors earlier during the day has boosted our confidence, but we believe that the West Bengal government is exerting pressure on them," junior medic Debasish Halder said on Tuesday night. Seven junior doctors have been on a fast-unto-death since Saturday night, supported by several senior colleagues who joined them in solidarity. Earlier during the day, more than 50 doctors at RG Kar hospital tendered mass resignations to back the junior doctors' cause. However, the state government claimed it had not received any such resignation letters. "The state cannot remain silent. They must eng

Kolkata slowly gets into Durga Puja spirit as retail, sponsors bounce back

Retail, restaurant, sponsorship scene gradually recovers from the strain of protests and the absence of Bangladeshi shoppers

Kolkata rape-murder case: What does the CBI chargesheet against Sanjay Roy reveal?

On October 7, the CBI filed its first chargesheet accusing Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata police, of raping and murdering the junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College Hospital

Malaysia Airlines to resume Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata flights on December 2

Malaysia Airlines will restart direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kolkata from December 2 as the carrier boosts its services to India. Currently, the airline connects Kuala Lumpur directly with nine Indian cities -- New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Amritsar, Trivandrum and Ahmedabad. Five weekly flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata route starting from December 2, the airline said in a release on Tuesday. Malaysia Airlines stopped direct flights to Kolkata in 2006. With the recommencement of the Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata services, the airline will offer 76 weekly flights between India and Malaysia. Currently, the carrier operates 71 weekly flights to India. The flights to Amritsar were increased from four per week to daily in August. "India is a key market for us, and by continually enhancing our network and increasing frequencies, we aim to deliver exceptional travel experiences, complemented by Malaysia Airline

Kolkata case: Doctors' association calls for nationwide strike on Oct 9

Kolkata case updates: The CBI on Monday filed a chargesheet naming Sanjoy Roy as sole accused in connection with the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital

RG Kar rape-murder case: CBI files chargesheet, Sanjoy Roy sole accused

The CBI chargesheet says that accused Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with the local police, allegedly committed the crime on August 9 at the premises of the RG Kar College and Hospital in Kolkata

RG Kar case: Junior doctors continue fast-unto-death, demand justice

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal continued their fast-unto-death for the third consecutive day on Monday, demanding justice for the rape and murder of a woman medic of the RG Kar hospital and workplace safety even as the state government remained silent to address their issues. Six junior medics have been on the fast-onto-death since Saturday evening and later one more joined them. "Our fast-unto-death protest is on. We have not received any message from the state government. We will continue this until all our demands are met. No external pressure will be able to move us from our path of protest seeking justice for our deceased sister... It's now or never," Aniket Mahato, a junior doctor, told PTI. Mahato of RG Kar hospital joined Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Kolkata medical college, Arnab Mukhopadhyay of SSKM hospital, Pulastha Acharya of NRS medical college and Sayantani Ghosh Hazra of KPC medical college for the fast-unto-death protest. The jun

RG Kar case overshadows Durga Puja festival in WB, celebrations unlikely

Durga puja, West Bengal's biggest carnival, is likely to be subdued this year as calls to boycott the festivities grow in response to protests over the brutal rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar hospital in August, casting a shadow over the city's festive spirit. The killing of the doctor on duty at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 has ignited profound emotional turmoil across the state, as the vibrant excitement of Durga puja has been overshadowed by the troubling paradox of worshipping the goddess of strength and protection while real-life women continue to face grave dangers. As Kolkata grapples with this tragedy, the city stands at a crossroads between tradition and change, torn between devotion to the goddess Durga, symbolising strength, protection, and justice, and the harsh reality of daily violence and injustice faced by women. It appears that this year's Durga puja will be much more subdued due to the RG Kar incident and the ongoing protests

RG Kar case: Docs continue sit-in, wait for state to fulfill their demands

Despite calling off their 'total cease work' on Friday evening, agitating junior doctors continued their sit-in in central Kolkata throughout the night alleging that police lathi-charged a few of them during a rally to press for justice for the deceased woman doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The junior doctors called off their 'total cease work' at state-run medical colleges and hospitals around 8.30 pm on Friday, but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours. "When you are fighting for a significant cause, you cannot expect things to be easy. We anticipated better treatment from the state government. The lathi charge and the verbal abuse from police were both unnecessary, and we demand an apology," Debasish Halder, a representative of the protesting junior medics, told PTI. "We will not vacate this place until that is provided," he added. Medics from RG Kar Medical College, alongside the

RG Kar case: Arrested doc Pandey in CBI custody; Ghosh to judicial remand

A court here on Friday sent arrested former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and now-suspended police officer Abhijit Mondal to 14-day judicial custody. A special CBI court also sent another doctor, Ashish Pandey, to three-day custody of the central agency till October 7. Producing Ghosh and Mondal before Alipore court here, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that Ghosh had conspired with Mondal to suppress the incident of rape and murder of an on-duty woman medic at the hospital. The central probe agency cited findings of the forensic tests conducted on the mobile phone devices of the duo and pleaded before the court for their custody for further questioning, official sources said. Stating that the investigation into the rape-murder incident "was underway in full swing", the CBI also claimed that Ghosh tried to mislead investigators by describing the doctor's death as a case of suicide, they said. The agency also claimed that Ghosh w

Even as cities worldwide modernise trams, India consigns them to museums

With the state government announcing its decision to eliminate tram services, a network that has shrunk rapidly since the nineties, fleeting images come to mind

RG Kar case: WB's doctors hold meeting to decide future course of action

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal went into a huddle late on Thursday to decide their future course of action after a section of senior medics urged them to reconsider their 'complete cease work' in light of the sufferings of ordinary patients. The junior doctors renewed their 'cease work' on October 1 after an attack on medics by a patient's family at the state-run College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital in the last week of September. Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors, told reporters, "We will hold a general body meeting at R G Kar hospital shortly. It may take time, but we will inform you of our decision by early tomorrow morning." Asked if they would consider a partial withdrawal of the agitation due to the ongoing sufferings of patients, the flood situation, and the upcoming Durga Puja festival, Mahato responded, "We will discuss everything. We need to assess the current situation since our demands for security have so far not been addressed by the ...