Kolkata – In a decisive move to address ongoing protests surrounding the tragic rape and murder of a junior doctor from R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, junior doctors have confirmed their attendance at a scheduled meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday. This decision was reached during a general body meeting of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) that extended into Sunday evening. The junior doctors have made it clear that while they will attend the meeting, they refuse to comply with the state government's pre-condition of withdrawing their hunger strike.
The hunger strike, which entered its 16th day on Sunday, has seen eight junior doctors participating, including seven at Esplanade in Central Kolkata and one at North Bengal Medical College & Hospital in Siliguri. On Saturday evening, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant sent an email to the WBJDF outlining that the withdrawal of the hunger strike would be a prerequisite for the meeting. The email also specified that the delegation would be limited to ten members and that the meeting would last no longer than 45 minutes.
This unexpected condition surprised many junior doctors, as it had not been discussed during a previous phone conversation with Chief Minister Banerjee earlier that day. Debasish Halder, a prominent figure in the junior doctors' movement, expressed the group's intentions in an email sent to the Chief Secretary. "We will be elaborating our demands again on Monday at the meeting with the Chief Minister. We are attending the meeting without setting any pre-conditions.
But our fast-unto-death agitation will continue, and we are not prepared to accept the precondition set by the state government," he stated. Among the hunger strikers is Halder's wife, Snigdha Hazra, who is also a junior doctor. As tensions rise, the junior doctors remain resolute in their demands for justice and comprehensive reforms in the healthcare system, hoping their meeting with the Chief Minister will yield meaningful dialogue and action moving forward. The situation continues to evolve, and the outcome of the meeting on Monday will be closely watched by both the medical community and the general public.
