The junior doctors in West Bengal announced their decision to persist with their strike action, seeking justice for the RG Kar hospital trainee doctor who was raped and murdered. This comes despite the Supreme Court’s directive for them to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday.
Here are 10 points to know
1. The protesting doctors have been demanding the resignation of the state’s health secretary and director of health education (DHE).
2. They said that they would also take out a rally to ‘Swasthya Bhavan’ – the headquarters of the health department in Salt Lake today noon.
3. While speaking to news agency PTI on September 9, one of the doctors said, “Our demands are unfulfilled and justice is not meted out to the victim. We will continue our agitation as well as the ‘cease work’. We want the health secretary and DHE to resign. Tomorrow noon, we will hold a rally to the Swasthya Bhavan.”
4. The junior doctors have been observing ‘cease work’ at state-run hospitals for about a month now.
5. The top court on September 9 directed the protesting doctors to resume their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday to avoid adverse action by the state government which claimed their strike has led to 23 deaths.
6. On the other hand, a political slugfest has taken centre stage in the state. Recently, TMC MP Jawhar Sircar wrote to Banerjee stating that he decided to resign from the Rajya Sabha and leave politics. In his letter, he also claimed that corruption by a section of leaders of the party and lack of action against them was one of the reasons for his decision.
7. On this, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that Sircar’s letter to the West Bengal CM exposed the “dirt, corruption and dictatorial attitude” within the party. It indicates that every institution in West Bengal has been corroded with corruption by the Mamata Banerjee government and those who raise the issue are heckled and silenced, he alleged.
8. On the other hand, the deceased’s mother has accused Mamata Banerjee of lying about not offering financial compensation. Yesterday, while speaking to news agency ANI, she refuted the CM’s claim, stating that Banerjee did offer money following her daughter’s tragic death.
9. The victim’s mother said, “The Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) is lying. We were offered money…My daughter will not return, will I lie in her name? The Chief Minister said you will get money, make something in your daughter’s memory. I then said, when my daughter gets justice, I will go to your office and take that money….If the people of the whole country want to move to the festival, then they can move. But they consider my daughter as their family member. If they can return to the festival I have nothing to say. Durga Puja was also held in my house, my daughter used to do it herself. But Durga Puja will never be celebrated in my house again. The light in my room is off. How do I tell people to return to the festival? The chief minister is trying to strangle the movement just like how my daughter was strangled, the evidence was destroyed…We will be on the road, we will be in the movement until we get justice.”
10. The victim’s cousin too said that the CM personally offered financial compensation to the family. “The Chief Minister herself offered financial compensation. She denied that money was offered by the police. I’m still saying with responsibility that the Chief Minister offered money.” Meanwhile, CM Banerjee encouraged people to “return to festivities” as Durga Puja nears and urged junior doctors to resume their duties as soon as possible.
(With inputs from agencies)
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