After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the protest site on Saturday to address the concerns, protesting doctors reached her house for talks. The doctors have been staging a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal health department, since Tuesday following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month.
During her visit, Chief Minister Banerjee sought to ease tensions by striking a conciliatory tone. Addressing the crowd, she stated, "Please listen to me for five minutes and then shout slogans, it is your democratic right to do so. I have been waiting for a long time. Against the advice of my security officers, I have come here to salute your protests. I have also been part of student movements, I know my post is not a big deal, your voice is. It was raining all night and you suffered. I couldn't sleep either because I was feeling bad."
Banerjee acknowledged the prolonged nature of the protests and urged the doctors to return to work, assuring them that the government would address their demands. She pledged to review the demands, stating, "I will study the demands, I don't run the government alone. I will speak to the chief secretary, home secretary, and director general of police. Action will be taken against those who are found guilty. I want justice for Tilottama. From your platform, I will request the CBI to speed up the investigation."
She further assured the doctors, "Return to work. I will ensure that no injustice happens. I will set up committees in every hospital which will have senior and junior doctors as members. Everyone found guilty will be punished, it is not like they are my friends. Please talk amongst yourselves and return to work, I will not take any action. I know you work a lot, I know how important you are."
Despite the Chief Minister's attempts to resolve the crisis, the doctors expressed the need for a "transparent" meeting and reiterated their demand for live streaming of the discussions. A protesting doctor remarked, "We welcome Mamata Banerjee's visit. We are ready to hold talks with her. Media is present here. Let there be a transparent meeting with her over our five demands."
The key demands of the doctors include accountability for all individuals involved in the rape and murder, the resignation of key officials including Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, and improved security measures for healthcare workers. The doctors had previously rejected a meeting invitation from the health secretary due to their demand for his resignation and live streaming of the talks.
Chief Minister Banerjee, who had waited for over two hours for the doctors to arrive for the Thursday meeting that did not take place, explained that live streaming would be against protocol due to the ongoing court case. She apologized to the people of West Bengal and suggested that the protests may have a "political colour."
The situation remains tense as the doctors continue their protest, and the future of their demands and the resolution of the crisis hang in the balance.
It is pertinent to note the Centre's lack of attention towards the issue which stemmed from the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and has translated into a nationwide demand for safe working environment for doctors.
