West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Meets Protesting Doctors in Kolkata

On Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake, Kolkata, to meet with doctors who are on a sit-in protest. She assured them that their demands would be looked into and action would be taken against those found guilty.

Addressing the protesting doctors, Banerjee said, “I have been a student leader myself, I have also struggled a lot in my life, I understand your struggle. I am not worried about my position. It rained all night yesterday, you were sitting here protesting; I was worried all night…After listening to your demands, I will study them. I do not run the government alone, I will definitely find a solution by studying your demands with senior officials. Whoever is found guilty will definitely be punished. I am asking for some time from you. The State government will not take any action against you (protesting doctors).”

She further urged the protesting doctors to return to work and said, “I request you to return to work. All the work related to the development, infrastructure, and security of the hospital has been started and will be done further.”

To monitor the situation and ensure security, the Kolkata Police have installed CCTV cameras at the protest site and surrounding areas. The junior doctors continued their protest, demanding justice and enhanced safety measures at medical institutions, even after the Supreme Court set a deadline for doctors to resume work on Tuesday.

Earlier on September 13, junior doctors in Kolkata criticised the West Bengal Chief Minister for rejecting their request to live telecast a meeting and for not meeting with them. They argued that their request was reasonable, given that parliamentary discussions and many administrative meetings are broadcast live. The doctors expressed frustration over being asked to leave electronic gadgets outside the meeting hall, which prevented them from recording the proceedings.

The protest follows a tragic incident where a second-year postgraduate medical student was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9.