The CPM’s youth and students’ wings — DYFI and SFI — on Wednesday marched to the West Midnapore district magistrate’s office to submit a memorandum demanding the resignation of health minister Mamata Banerjee following the death of a new mother at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital earlier this month.
Mamoni Ruidas, 30, died allegedly because of the use of “substandard” Ringer’s lactate. Eight other women also fell ill after being administered the solution and three of them were admitted to the SSKM Hospital in Calcutta.
The solution was produced by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals.
The state government ordered a probe into the incident and suspended 12 doctors for alleged negligence.
Accusing the state of punishing the 12 doctors to “save” the health minister and deflect people’s attention from the issue, DYFI and SFI supporters, led by youth leader Minakshi Mukherjee, marched from Panchur Chowk to the DM office, where they were confronted by a posse of police personnel.
Addressing the gathering, Mukherjee said: “The roots of corruption are in the health department and the chief minister, being its head, is trying to mislead the people and suppress the facts. Now, the state administration is trying to stop protesters but Left organisations will not leave the streets on the RL issue. Mamata Banerjee wants to send the RL scandal to the cold store but she will not succeed.”
As DYFI and SFI supporters tried to break the police cordon, they faced resistance from the law enforcers leading to a confrontation.
“The police used force on a peaceful protest and their lathis targeted our heads,” said an SFI leader.
The police, however, rejected the allegations.
After the police stopped the marchers and disallowed them from submitting the memorandum, Mukherjee sat on the road in protest that continued for a few hours.
Junior doctors at the Midnapore medical college, who had partially ceased work in protest, has written to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to revoke the suspension of seven of their colleagues. They claimed to have received assurances from the administration that the suspensions would be withdrawn, leading to the withdrawal of their partial cease-work.
On Wednesday, the Joint Platform of Doctors sent an email to chief secretary Manoj Pant, condemning the suspension of the doctors. They labelled the action as “loathsome and atrocious” and demanded its withdrawal.