Friday, 20 September 2024
Friday, 20 September 2024
Junior doctors sit in protest all night, demand top cop’s resignation
Junior doctors from medical colleges in Calcutta sat in protest all through Monday night and on Tuesday morning near Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, demanding the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal. The doctors accused Goyal of inaction during the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College on August 14 during the citizens’ protest following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, and of destroying evidence in the rape-murder case.
Heavy police bandobast and barricades
The junior doctors’ rally, which started from College Square, was stopped by the police at BB Ganguly Street, approximately 500 metres from Lalbazar. The police, anticipating the scale of the protest, had deployed a large number of personnel and erected 9-foot-tall barricades, secured with padlocked chains, to prevent the rally from reaching Lalbazar. The impressive fortifications to stop the doctors, many protesters pointed out, were in stark contrast to what happened on August 14 night at RG Kar.
Peaceful protest aims to shame Kolkata Police
The protesting doctors carried the national flag, red roses, and placards with slogans calling for justice and the safety of healthcare workers. Some placards displayed a photo of commissioner Goyal, demanding his resignation. The protesters sat on the street, shouting slogans and holding up the replica of a spine – to remind the police of their duty to protect citizens and not toe the line of politicians.
Protest to continue till demands are met
The junior doctors are determined not to leave until their demands are addressed. "We are seeking the police commissioner’s resignation. Till the police allow us near Lalbazar, we will not go back," Arnab Mukherjee, a postdoctoral trainee at SSKM Hospital, told The Telegraph on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, Anubhab Saha, an intern at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, told The Telegraph Online: “We will continue our dharna at Lalbazar.”
What the junior doctors of Bengal want
The protesting doctors have a range of demands, including the resignation of Calcutta police commissioner Vineet Goyal. Their other demands include:
Sandip Ghosh’s arrest cheers protesters
The doctors were happy with the CBI arresting Sandip Ghosh, who was principal of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, in a corruption case but they also made it clear that their protest would continue until all their demands were met.
"Ghosh’s arrest is just one step, but we cannot ignore the need for broader justice," Aniket Mahato, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar, told The Telegraph on Monday night.
Many protesters told TV channels that if the police want to test their patience they will fail because
Allegations of mishandling the crime scene
The doctors expressed deep distrust in the Kolkata Police's investigation of the August 9 rape-murder. They cited concerns raised by the CBI's counsel, who claimed that the crime scene had been altered. Although a Kolkata Police officer clarified that the altered crime scene did not aim to tamper the evidence, the protesting doctors were unconvinced and held Goyal accountable for what they called lapses in the investigation.
“At 3:35 am the police stood up for the first time, when we sang the national anthem,” Devalina Bose, a student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, told The Telegraph Online on Tuesday morning. “Better to say, first movement of police in response to our constant roast.”
