Bengal doctors defy SC order

Kolkata: Junior doctors in Bengal, outraged over the rape and murder of a fellow doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, have intensified their protest, defying a Supreme Court order to return to work by 5 PM on Tuesday. The doctors have issued a counter-demand to the state government, setting a deadline of 5 PM on Tuesday to meet their list of demands. If unmet, they plan to stage a sit-down protest outside the health secretariat. In a bold move, hundreds of doctors have started marching towards Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department’s headquarters in Salt Lake, on the outskirts of Kolkata.

Authorities have erected barricades and deployed a large police contingent to prevent the protesters from reaching the building.

The junior doctors have put forward a five-point demand, which includes the resignation of several key figures, starting with Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. They are also calling for the resignation of senior officials in the health ministry, among others.

This development has set the protesting doctors on a collision course with the state government. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed her preference for resolving the issue through dialogue, stating that she is not inclined to take disciplinary action against the doctors for now.