Kolkata rape-murder: Bengal junior doctors resume total cease work, demanding safety & security

Junior doctors in West Bengal on Oct 1 resumed total ‘cease work’ to force the Mamata Banerjee government to concede to their demands, including safety and security at all medical establishments across the state.

The decision to resume the cease work was taken after an eight-hour-long meeting of the junior doctors. The protesting doctors have placed at least ten demands before the state government related to strengthening hospital security, improving health infrastructure, and putting an end to threatening culture and politics in hospitals.

“We are compelled to return to a full cease work starting from today. Unless we receive clear action from the government on safety, patient services, and an end to the politics of fear, we will have no option but to continue our strike,” the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said in a statement.

The junior doctors on Sep 21 rejoined their duties partially at government hospitals after a 42-day protest. They were on a cease-work agitation to protest against the gruesome rape-murder of an on-duty woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Aug 9.

"We do not see any positive approach from the state government to fulfill our demands for safety and security. Today is the 52nd day (of the protest) and we are still being attacked and intimidated,” one of the agitating junior doctors Aniket Mahato told PTI.

“To make matters worse, there is no attempt to keep the other promises made during the meetings with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In the given situation, we are left with no option other than opting for full cease work, starting today," he added.

As long as there is no clear action from the state government on these demands, this complete cease work will continue, according to Mahato.

The announcement comes a day after the Calcutta high court on Sep 30 allowed a rally to be held in the metropolis by the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) on Oct 1 to protest the rape-murder of the trainee medic.

Disposing of a petition by the JPD, Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj directed that a peaceful rally be held between 5 pm and 8 pm from College Square in north Kolkata to Rabindra Sadan in the south, via Central Avenue and Esplanade.

While the Kolkata police had requested a reduction in both the number of participants and the length of the rally route, the court did not impose any such restrictions. Instead, it instructed the authorities, under the supervision of the Joint Commissioner of Police (headquarters) of Kolkata Police, to ensure adequate security measures with sufficient personnel to be deployed to allow the rally to proceed peacefully.

Justice Bharadwaj also directed the rally organizers to provide enough volunteers to manage their supporters and ensure that the event remains peaceful.

The medics' platform, representing the Association of Health Service Doctors, West Bengal, had approached the Kolkata Police commissioner, seeking permission for a protest rally from College Square to Rabindra Sadan between 5 pm and 8 pm, expecting around 50,000 participants.

However, the joint commissioner of police — headquarters — informed the organizers that the rally could proceed with only 1,000 participants and sufficient volunteers, but the route would be from College Square to Rani Rashmoni Avenue at
Esplanade.

In response, the JPD challenged these restrictions in the High Court, arguing that since the public was voluntarily joining the protest, limiting the number of participants was not enforceable.

The partially-clothed body of the woman doctor with severe injuries was found in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident triggered widespread agitation across India with doctors demanding exemplary punishment to the accused and enhancing the safety of medical professionals at workplaces.