Page 33 - West Bengal

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 case: Medics continue fast-unto-death, to hold rally on Tuesday

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. The medics also announced organising a rally in Kolkata from central Kolkata's College Square to Dharmatala at around 4.30 PM on Tuesday to press for their demands. "Tomorrow we will also be holding a symbolic hunger strike at all medical colleges and hospitals across the state. Representatives of various doctors' associations will take part in it. This will start at 9 AM Tuesday and will continue till 9 PM. We will also hold a rally in Kolkata. We, on behalf of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum, invite all those who have been beside us since Day 1 of our protest," one junior medic said. Six junior medics have been on the fast-unto-death since Saturday evening and later one more joined them. Senio

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

West Bengal CM Mamata asks police to register Kultuli case under Posco Act

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday directed the police to register the alleged rape-murder case of a 10-year-old girl in South 24 Parganas district under the POCSO Act, and ensure that the culprits get capital punishment within three months. Her direction came on a day when Calcutta High Court ordered that the post-mortem examination of the schoolgirl be conducted at AIIMS Kalyani on Monday morning in the presence of the additional chief judicial magistrate of Baruipur court. The 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered while returning to her Joynagar home after attending her tuition classes on Saturday. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, while hearing a petition filed by the girl's parents on Sunday, directed that if AIIMS Kalyani lacks the necessary infrastructure to conduct the post-mortem examination, it should be carried out at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial (JNM) Hospital, also located in Kalyani, the court said. However, the post-mortem examination must be done

RG Kar case: Jr doctors continue hunger strike; demand justice, safety

Agitating junior doctors demanding justice for the deceased woman medic of the Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace safety continued their hunger strike until death on Sunday in the central part of the city's Dharmatala area. Several senior doctors, who have been at the protest site since Saturday night, are also planning to join their junior counterparts in the hunger strike. "The support of these people gives us the courage, the enthusiasm to continue our protest against the gruesome murder of our sister. We are happy to see that people have not forgotten that justice is yet not given and attacks on doctors are still on and the state government has no serious note of our demands," Debasish Halder, one of the agitating doctors, told PTI. The junior medics started their hunger strike untill death on Saturday night after the state government missed the 24-hour deadline of fulfilling their demands by 8.30 pm on Saturday. They had on Friday begun a sit-in demonstration at th

Academics hail Centre for granting classical language status to Bengali

Academics and Bengali identity advocacy groups have hailed the decision of the Centre to accord classical language status to Bengali language expressing hope that it will facilitate in greater use of the language in official communication and examinations. Eminent indologist and linguist Nrisingo Prasad Bhaduri said he hoped that after the honour, at all India level, there will be greater use of the language in competitive examinations, more use of synonyms of familiar English terms in science and economics and present day students will feel encouraged to use these Bengali synonyms in their exams. Thanking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bhaduri said after he and other academics drew her attention to the fact that Bengali was not accorded classical language status despite having thousands of years of history from the day of its origin and evolution. "The state government submitted voluminous documents in this regard very promptly and the recognition came in 6-7 months ...

RG Kar case: Junior doctors begin fast unto death ahead of Durga Puja

The junior doctors, protesting over the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital, went on fast unto death on Saturday evening, claiming that their demands were not fulfilled by the West Bengal government. With three days left before the Durga Puja festivities start, the doctors had on Friday begun a sit-in demonstration at the Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala in the heart of Kolkata, setting a 24-hour deadline for the state government to fulfil their demands. "The state government has failed the deadline and hence we are starting the fast unto death, which will continue till our demands are fulfilled. To maintain transparency, we have installed CCTV cameras at the dais where our colleagues are holding the fast," a junior doctor said. "We joined duty last night but will not eat anything," he said, adding that at present six junior doctors were sitting on fast. The six doctors who were sitting on the fast were identified as Snigdha Hazra, Tanaya Panja and Anustup ...

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

Doctors issue 24-hour ultimatum over medic's murder, threaten hunger strike

Junior doctors protesting the recent rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital on Friday issued the state government a 24-hour ultimatum to meet their demands, warning that they will begin an indefinite hunger strike if unmet.The protest took place at Esplanade, where a junior doctor, Parichay Panda, said, "Our demand is simple. We've given the government time to improve the safety and security of hospitals. However, the government has failed to do so. They even admitted before the Supreme Court that only a few measures have been implemented."Panda further noted that the government is unwilling to engage in discussions."If our demands are not fulfilled within 24 hours, we will begin an indefinite hunger strike tomorrow. Some of us will remain here, while others will continue serving the people of West Bengal," he added.On Wednesday, undergraduate and postgraduate students, junior doctors, and interns from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri .

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Junior docs call off 'total cease work', threaten to launch hunger strike

Agitating junior doctors demanding justice for the RG Kar medic on Friday evening called off their 'total cease work' at state-run medical colleges and hospitals but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours. "We are calling off our 'total cease work'. But we will continue our sit-in protest. We will give the state administration 24 hours to fulfill our demands or else we will start a hunger strike till death," an agitating doctor, Debasish Halder of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, said. Holding clocks in their hands, the doctors reiterated their demands including the directive to form a central enquiry committee for disciplinary proceedings against alleged perpetrators involved in "threat culture" in all medical colleges of West Bengal, among others.

RG Kar case: WB junior doctors likely to call off 'total cease work' today

West Bengal's agitating junior doctors are likely to call off their "total cease work" on Friday and resume normal duties soon after, while continuing their demonstrations demanding justice for their murdered colleague at RG Kar hospital and improved safety measures in medical facilities. After holding a governing body meeting throughout Thursday night, the junior medics decided to hold a rally on Friday afternoon, during which they are likely to announce their decision to withdraw the "total cease work," a source said. However, they plan to set a deadline for the state government to implement their demands, after which they will launch a "indefinite fast" until their promises are fulfilled, he added. "The governing body meeting concluded this morning. We have decided to suspend the total cease work for now, but our demonstrations will continue. We are mindful of the large number of patients relying on state-run hospitals every day," one of the agitating doctors told PTI. Their sen

WB panchayat dept asks DMs for detailed report on roads damaged by floods

The West Bengal Panchayat Department has asked all district magistrates (DMs) to submit an immediate report on the condition of rural roads damaged by recent rains and floods, a senior official said on Friday. P. Ulganathan, secretary of the Department of Panchayats and Rural Development, has written to the DMs requesting a detailed report on the extent of road damage in rural areas, the official added. In addition to the roads, the department also requested information on the condition of culverts and other infrastructure that were affected by the floods. "The department has sought a quick report on how many kilometres of roads in rural Bengal were damaged, the type of damage and their present condition. The letter has also asked the DMs to mention how many culverts were affected in the floods," the official told PTI. The DMs were also asked to assess the cost of repairing the roads and replacing the damaged culverts, along with an estimate of the expenses required for the ...

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 ...

'Cease work' by medics affects healthcare services in Bengal hospitals

Healthcare services in West Bengal's government-run hospitals were affected for the third consecutive day on Thursday as junior doctors struck work demanding justice for the rape-murder victim post-graduate trainee at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and security at their workplaces. This is the second time that junior doctors at state-run hospitals in Bengal went on a 'cease work' over their demands. The medics went on a cease work after the body of their colleague was found at R G Kar Hospital on August 9. They partially returned to work on September 21 after 42 days, resuming essential services after the government promised to address most of their concerns. However, alleging that the government did not fulfil its promises, the doctors went on a cease work again from Tuesday. "The government has not yet invited us for talks over our demands," Aniket Mahata, one of the doctors leading the agitation, told PTI. The doctors have also expressed concern with the pace of the CBI .

RG Kar case: North Bengal Medical College holds torch-light rally

Meanwhile, doctors from private hospitals lit earthen lamps at Ganga Ghat in Kolkata as a mark of protest against the same incident

Rs 60,000 cr investment opportunity by railways in Bengal, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday announced that there is a Rs 60,000-crore investment opportunity by the railways in West Bengal. He highlighted that 61 projects are currently pending in the state due to issues related to the handover of land to the railways, emphasising that the completion of these projects requires the TMC government to rise above politics. "Rs 60,000 crore investment opportunity by the railways exists in West Bengal," Vaishnaw said after inaugurating several railway projects and train services at Sealdah station. He added that such investments will only be feasible if the state government cooperates. Vaishnaw also mentioned that there are 26 km of Metro railway projects where work cannot proceed due to land-related issues. Speaking to reporters here after a Swachh Bharat event at Braithwaite & Co Ltd, where he also conducted an inspection of the PSU, Vaishnaw stressed the need to prioritise the welfare of people. "Development is the need of the .

Junior medics resume cease work, crippling West Bengal's healthcare

Junior doctors in West Bengal resumed an indefinite 'total cease work' on Tuesday, escalating protests over the state government's "failure" to address key demands including enhanced hospital security, a day after the Supreme Court emphasised the need for medics to perform essential duties. The junior doctors in West Bengal had partially resumed duties on September 21 after a 42-day protest over the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College on August 9. Following an all-night governing body meeting, they have resumed their strike on Tuesday just ahead of Durga Puja, crippling medical services across the state. Despite the state's acknowledgement of two demands - establishing a State-Level Redressal Committee and reconstitution of Patient Welfare Committees at hospitals by Tuesday evening - junior doctors deemed these measures insufficient. As junior doctors resumed their agitation ahead of Durga Puja, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a veiled appeal to the medic

Kolkata RG Kar case: Doctors resume 'indefinite strike', list 10 demands

Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctors resumed their indefinite 'total cease work' on October 1 and criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation for the slow pace of their inquiry