Doctors Protests

Senior advocate Vrinda Grover will no longer be representing the R G Kar Medical College rape-murder victim's family, sources said on Thursday. They said that the concerned trial court, before which the trial in the rape-murder case is being held, has been informed accordingly and that the counsels stand discharged from the matter. The sources said that at this stage, on account of "certain intervening factors and circumstances", senior advocate Vrinda Grover is constrained to withdraw from the case proceedings in this matter and will no longer be representing the victim's family. The chamber of advocate Grover, including advocates Soutik Banerjee and Arjun Gooptu, were requested by the victim's parents to provide legal representation before the Supreme Court, Calcutta High Court and the Sealdah sessions court and ACJM court, they said. Grover's chamber provided legal services and representation pro bono (free of cost) to the victim's family before all courts from September 2024, t

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 ...

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

As November 9 marks 90 days since the incident, Dr. Rajdeep affirmed that the protests will continue until justice is served

Upping the ante against junior doctors who have been protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital, West Bengal's Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay sought to know the source of their funds that helped continue the agitation for over two months. Chattopadhyay was speaking at a post-Durga Puja get-together organised by the TMC at his constituency Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday. A video of his address went viral on Thursday, triggering a fresh war of words with the junior doctors. PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the video. "May I ask them, why are you agitating? For what reason are you agitating? Why is all the anger directed at the government?" he said. "What is the source of your funds? From where are you getting so much money?" he added. Reacting strongly, senior doctor Subarna Goswami said the "outburst" showed the discomfiture of the establishment as issues concerning the healthcare system are being .

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 victim's father conveyed the immense mental pressure they are facing and sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's insights, guidance, and assistance

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 ...

Resident doctors in Jaipur resumed their strike on Saturday night, accusing the state government of 'inaction' towards their demands, including workplace safety measures. The elective and emergency services have been suspended. Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors president Dr Manohar Siyol said that the resident doctors at the SMS Hospital had given an ultimatum of 48-hours to the state government to fulfil their demands. It ended at 8 pm on Saturday. He said that the state government in August had assured the doctors that they would fulfil their demands, including workplace safety measures. But no concrete action has been taken yet. "We had been peacefully registering our protest in support of our demands for the last 12 days by boycotting elective services at the SMS hospital but the government showed no active involvement. They have been insensitve towards our demands. Therefore we were forced to suspend emergency as well as elective services tonight. Our demands remain the sa

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

The fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered its 14th day on Friday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting junior doctors have been hospitalised after deterioration in their health condition, a protesting doctor said. Currently, eight medics are on an indefinite fast at the protest site in Esplanade, located in the heart of Kolkata, he added. The protesting doctors are demanding justice for the deceased woman medic and immediate removal of state Health secretary NS Nigam. The protesting doctors said the government has not taken any concrete steps to address their 10-point charter. In addition to justice for the medic who was raped and murdered, their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task fo

Doctors of government hospitals on Thursday demanded "justice for Abhaya", urging action in the ongoing fight for justice for a female doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital. The Delhi RDA Action Committee, an umbrella body of doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, and Lady Hardinge Medical College, held a press conference to express solidarity with their protesting fellow doctors in the West Bengal capital. Apart from demands for "justice for Abhaya", the committee also emphasises the need for urgent measures to ensure safety of healthcare workers at hospitals across the country. The joint press conference took place this evening at the Dhanvantri Hostel of ABVIMS and Dr RML Hospital, where representatives from various Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs) voiced their concerns over the increasing insensitivity of authorities towards the safety and security of healthcare professionals. GTB Hospital RDA .

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 ..