Doctors stage sit-in outside Nirman Bhawan, demand justice for Kolkata horror
Doctors and medical students from government and private hospitals outside the Union Health Ministry office raising slogans and demanding justice for the doctor who was raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Hundreds of protesters, ranging from MBBS students to senior resident doctors, staged a sit-in protest outside the Union Health Ministry at Nirman Bhawan on Friday to demand justice for the rape and murder of the doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
While the sit-in outside Nirman Bhawan began on Friday afternoon, a separate group of over a hundred doctors were stopped by the Delhi police in the evening while marching from Safdarjung Hospital to India Gate.
Over 500 doctors took part in the sit-in outside Nirman Bhawan, including those belonging to doctors’ associations at All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Maulana Azad Medical College, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, as well as private hospitals in the Capital. Later, the doctors who were stopped by the police during their march also came to the sit-in and joined the protest.
“We are fighting not just for us doctors but for all women. If we don’t raise our voices now, such horrific incidents will continue to take place,” said Dr. Meenakshi N., a doctor from Apollo Hospital in Noida who had hoped to march to India Gate.
Dr. Priya Yadav, a senior resident doctor who also attempted to march to India Gate, said, “We will continue our protest until the Central Protection Act is implemented. We don’t even feel safe in our own workplaces.”
The case related to the rape and murder of the on-duty woman doctor in the early hours of August 9 has been transferred from the Kolkata police to the Central Bureau of Investigation. So far, over 19 arrests have been made.
‘Awaiting outcome’
The protesting doctors, who were armed with placards reading ‘No Safety, No Duty’ and ‘Hands That Heal Should Not Bleed’, stayed put outside Nirman Bhawan even after it began raining.
“The downpour is no deterrent for us,” said Dr. Parth Mishra, vice-president of the University College Of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital RDAs.
After the sit-in ended around 9 p.m., the AIIMS RDA said the meeting held between representatives of several RDAs and Health Ministry officials regarding the Central Protection Act had ended inconclusively. “It was unanimously decided to continue the strike since our demands were not met,” it said.
OPD services impacted
Meanwhile, OPD services remained impacted at most hospitals, although emergency services continued to be functional.
The Faculty Association at AIIMS wrote to the hospital’s director, informing him that they were suspending routine hospital services, including OPD and Operating Theatre services on Saturday.
“As you are aware, in light of the heinous incident that occurred at R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata involving a resident doctor, the residents of our institute are on strike, demanding the urgent implementation of a Central Protection Act to ensure a safe environment for practicing doctors,” read their letter, adding that the move had been taken after a meeting had been held with the faculties.
Patients scheduled for OPD services have been informed and their appointments have been rescheduled. Emergency services will continue, they said.
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