Bengal Doctors Strike

The by-elections to six assembly constituencies in West Bengal on Wednesday are shaping up to be a test for the ruling TMC, amid a wave of widespread protests across the state surrounding the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident has sparked a months-long agitation by junior doctors demanding justice for their deceased colleague and systemic reforms, significantly impacting the political environment just days before the polls. Both the ruling TMC and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates for all six seats: Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST). Notably, five of these constituencies are in the TMC strongholds of south Bengal, while Madarihat remains a BJP bastion in the northern part of the state. Adding another layer of competition, the CPI (M)-led Left Front and the Congress are contesting separately for the first time since 2021, following a recent change in the Ben

The trial in the rape and murder case of a doctor commenced in a Kolkata court on Monday, three months after the medic's body was found inside the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here. The proceedings were held in-camera at the court of additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das. Prime accused Sanjay Roy who was present in the court during the trial, later alleged outside the court that he was framed by senior police officers including former city police commissioner Vineet Goyal. The father of the victim was present in the court as a witness, police sources said. Roy was brought to the court in the afternoon and the proceedings are being held closed door. The prime accused, while coming out of the court, again claimed that he has been framed by the administration and he was not guilty. They did not let me speak even today. I've done nothing and have been framed, Roy told reporters while being whisked away. "Senior officers are involved in this. The governm

Speakers at the 64th annual conference of the Indian Medical Association's Maharashtra chapter being held in Thane on Saturday sought stronger safety measures for medical college students, especially women. The speakers cited the rape and murder of a postgraduate student in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August, a case that made national headlines and triggered protests across the country. "Today, more than 60 per cent students of medicine are females, while it is 90 per cent in nursing, 80 per cent in dental courses and 70 per cent in physiotherapy. It is imperative that women feel as safe on campus and in the workplace as they do at home. This is our central demand from both government and private institutions," IMA national president Dr Anil J Nayak said. Highlighting the 1:1800 doctor-patient ratio in India, Nayak said it was concerning and stressed the need for improved services and infrastructure in the healthcare sector. During the day, IMA Maharashtra ...

The father of the deceased woman medic of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said he has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has called him for a meeting. He, however, declined to divulge much about his talks with Shah and when and where the meeting would be held. "I have spoken to him (Amit Shah). He has called me (for a meeting). I cannot talk much about it, but the meeting will take place," the father of the deceased woman medic at the RG Kar Hospital told reporters on Wednesday. The parents of the victim had earlier written to Shah on October 22 requesting for an appointment to guide and help them get justice. State BJP leaders had said they would try to arrange a meeting between Shah and the couple during his visit to Kolkata on October 27, but it did not happen. The parents had, however, said they were not upset about not getting an audience with Shah during his visit and expressed hope that they may get the opportunity to meet the Union home minister in future.

Eighty-seven days after the body of a woman medic was discovered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a city court on Monday framed charges against the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, who claimed he has been framed. The court announced that day-to-day trial would commence from November 11. Roy has been booked under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 66 (which pertains to punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state) and 103 (punishment for murder). "I have done nothing. I have been framed in this rape-murder case. Nobody is listening to me. The government is framing me and threatening me not to open my mouth," Roy told reporters as he was led out of the court. In its initial charge-sheet submitted last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identified Roy as the "sole prime accused" in the case. The CBI's charge-sheet also acknowledged the possibility of a "bigger conspiracy" behind the crime. On August 9, the body of the

Agitating junior doctors along with common people on Wednesday evening organised a torch rally in Kolkata, demanding justice for the medic who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here on August 9. Representatives of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum and several civil society organisations took out the procession from the West Bengal Medical Council's office in Salt Lake's Sector 3 to the CBI's office at the CGO Complex in Sector 1. Shouting slogans like 'We want justice', the participants demanded that the CBI complete its investigation into the rape-murder case quickly. "It's almost three months since the incident happened. The CBI is still investigating the matter. We want them to quicken their probe," one of the agitating doctors said. At the rally, one of the doctors held a clock in his hand as a symbol to demonstrate that time is passing since the crime took place at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, while others held torche

Within five days of withdrawing their fast-unto-death, agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Saturday held a mass convention and decided to organise a rally to the CBI's office here on October 30 demanding justice for the RG Kar victim. Following the mass convention held at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the attending doctors from various state-run medical establishments and representatives of civil society and celebrities from the Bengali entertainment industry organised a 'candle and fire torch' rally. "It's been more than two-and-a-half months since our beloved sister was tortured and murdered and we still don't know who the real culprit is. So, at today's mass convention we have decided to hold a rally to the CBI office at CGO Complex on October 30," Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors, said. The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum (WBJDF) on Saturday organised the mass convention to strategise their next move to seek justice for the RG Kar victim and ensure tha

The much-awaited meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and agitating junior doctors began at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' on Monday evening to resolve the ongoing impasse arising out of the rape-and-murder of a medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August. Seventeen doctors from various medical colleges in the state joined the meeting chaired by Banerjee. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, Health Secretary NS Nigam, DGP Rajeev Kumar, MSVPs, and principals of the medical colleges in the city were also present at the meeting.

Amid West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's request to agitating junior doctors to withdraw their indefinite hunger strike and come for talks, the 'fast-unto-death' of the medics demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim entered the 16th day on Sunday. Taking forward the proposal for talks, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Saturday evening invited the medics for talks with Banerjee for "45 minutes" from 5 pm on Monday at state secretariat Nabanna, conditional upon the "withdrawal of the hunger strike". However, the protesting doctors refused to end their hunger strike until all their demands were met but agreed to join the talks on Monday. Banerjee on Saturday spoke to the agitating doctors over phone during a visit by Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site in Kolkata's Esplanade area and urged them to end the hunger strike, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state ...

People from all walks of life participated in an around 20-km-long protest march on Saturday demanding justice for the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protesters, including doctors and members of the civil society, took out the march from Sodepur in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district and it was scheduled to culminate at Esplanade in central Kolkata where junior doctors have been staging a fast-unto-death for the last fortnight. Participants raised slogans demanding justice for the woman doctor who was found raped and murdered in the medical college on August 9. Some junior doctors have been staging a fast-unto-death in Esplanade area for the last 15 days, demanding justice for the victim and calling for systemic changes in the state's healthcare infrastructure. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the doctors to withdraw their agitation, assuring them that their demands would be looked into by the government.

Mamata Banerjee urged protesting doctors to rise above politics and return to work, stating that people are dependent on them and need their services

The strike came after doctors demanded justice for a fellow resident doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9

The fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 15th day on Saturday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting doctors have been hospitalised after their health condition deteriorated. Eight doctors are currently on indefinite fast while demanding that the state government act constructively by October 21 to end the impasse. One of the medics said that they would be forced to resort to strike across the state on October 22 if their demands are not met by Monday. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands", a junior doctor said. Several theatre personalities also held a symbolic hunger strike on Saturday to express solidarity with the protesting doctors. The agitating doctors planned to hold a mega rally on Sunday to press for their demands, which include the removal of Health Secretary N S Niga

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been seeking justice for their deceased colleague at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Friday threatened to hold a strike by all medics in the state on October 22 if their demands are not met. Stating that they are in talks with their colleagues in other states, the medics said there may also be a country-wide strike by doctors on Tuesday over the issue. The junior medics said that they, along with senior doctors, were giving a deadline to the state government till October 21 to fulfil their demands. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands," Debasish Halder, one of the agitating junior doctors, told reporters. "Unless this is done, all the junior and senior doctors of both government and private healthcare facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday," he said after a meeting between the junior doctors and their seniors here. Claiming that the doctors were n

A fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 13th day on Thursday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting junior doctors had to be hospitalised following severe deterioration of their health parameters, Dr Suvendu Mallick said. At present, eight medics are on the indefinite fast at the protest site in Esplanade, situated at the heart of Kolkata, he said. The protesting doctors have been demanding justice for the deceased woman medic of the RG Kar hospital, and immediate removal of state Health Secretary NS Nigam. Their other demands include establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at their workplaces. They are also demanding increased police ..

The CBI has sent a letter to West Bengal Health Secretary NS Nigam asking him to furnish details about why officials, allegedly involved in the RG Kar Hospital corruption case, are still holding key positions at the medical establishment, a source said on Wednesday. The Calcutta High Court on August 23 ordered the transfer of the probe into the alleged financial irregularities at the hospital from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the central agency. The CBI is also probing into the alleged rape and murder of an on-duty postgraduate trainee inside the hospital on August 9. In the letter to Nigam, the agency has questioned why two doctors -- Debasish Som and Sujata Ghosh -- were still holding their respective positions. Som is the former Head of the Forensic Department of RG Kar Hospital and is currently holding the position of a 'Demonstrator' at the Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT), the hospital website said. Sujata Ghosh is an Associate Professor of t

Resident doctors from major hospitals in Delhi will hold a protest outside the Bengal Bhawan in the national capital on Wednesday evening to demand justice for the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protest was announced was the Joint Delhi Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) Action Committee late Tuesday night. Resident doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College and others will participate in the protest which will be held at 6 pm on Wednesday, a statement said. The protest is part of a wider movement that began on August 12 with a pan-India strike against the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor and lasted until August 22. It was temporarily suspended after assurances from the Supreme Court that justice would be expedited, the statement said. However, the investigation has "stalled" with no action taken report (ATR) shared ..

With the young medics' indefinite hunger strike in West Bengal entering the ninth day on Tuesday, Indian Medical Association chief Dr R V Asokan said doctors have always been "soft targets" and that "injustice inflicted on the medical fraternity has no parallel". Doctors in West Bengal began their hunger strike on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, over the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. In a statement, posted on X by the IMA, Dr Asokan said on Tuesday that from the word go a doctor in India is a "slave chained by the Bond system". In the post titled "Meek shall inherit the Earth", Dr Asokan said the rape and murder of the resident doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Hospital and Medical College has brought out the "rot that has set in the country's medical colleges". "We are witness to how the sacrifice of the young resident suffocated and raped to a brutal death is haunting the empire

The indefinite hunger strike of junior doctors of West Bengal to press for their demands in the wake of the RG Kar Hospital incident entered the 11th day on Tuesday, as a meeting between medics and the state government failed to resolve the deadlock. Two more doctors participating in the 'fast-unto-death' in Esplanade area of Kolkata fell ill, further fueling the ongoing unrest sparked by the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. A crucial meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant held at Swasthya Bhavan on Monday concluded without any resolution. The doctors' hunger strike began on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. As of Tuesday, seven junior doctors continued their hunger strike, with several requiring immediate medical attention. Pulastha Acharya,

Despite continuous protests, including the hunger strike, no significant action has been taken by the authorities in West Bengal