RG Kar impasse: Meeting of agitating medics with Bengal chief secy underway

The second round of talks between agitating junior doctors and officials of the West Bengal government to resolve the impasse due to the RG Kar issue is presently underway for nearly one-and-a-half hours, officials said.

Escorted by a pilot police vehicle, the delegation of around 30 medics reached the secretariat around 7.15 pm.

The meeting with the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant started around 7.30 pm.

Just like Monday when they held talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the protesting medics were accompanied by stenographers to record the minutes of the meeting.

"We want the issue of safety and security in hospitals to be addressed. The chief minister had announced the formation of a task force, but there is no proper clarity on it. We want the state government to accept our legitimate demands," an agitating doctor said before leaving for the meeting venue.

 

The West Bengal government on Wednesday invited the junior doctors agitating over the RG Kar rape-murder incident for a meeting at the state secretariat at 6.30 pm, responding to their request for a fresh round of talks.

This is the second round of talks between the medics and the state government in 48 hours, the first of which was held in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

Junior doctors agitating over RG Kar rape-murder on Wednesday said they will continue their sit-in and not join duty, despite the state appointing Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police chief, replacing Vineet Goyal, and removing two senior health department officials, giving in to the medics' earlier demands.

According to a statement issued following the conclusion of their general body meeting, which had started around 6.30 pm on Tuesday and went on till well past midnight, the protestors called the state's administrative measures "only partial victory" of their movement.

The doctors demanded the removal of state Health Secretary N S Nigam, saying they were assured by Banerjee of an action on it during the talks on Monday.