Friday, 11 October 2024
Friday, 11 October 2024
Taking a leaf from his party leader and chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s book, Trinamul leader Kunal Ghosh on Friday morning spoke on his days of hunger strike while incarcerated in connection with the Saradha scam, while junior doctors vowed to continue with their hunger strike, even as one of their colleagues had to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
Mamata Banerjee has often spoken about the 26 days of hunger strike against the construction of a Tata Motors plant in Hooghly’s Singur at Dharmatala in December 2006, in the heart of Calcutta, a stone’s throw distance from where the seven junior doctors have been on a hunger strike since Saturday demanding justice for the rape and murder victim of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in a ten-point charter of demands
“I have faced this when I was behind bars. My fight was against the government and a section of the party,” wrote Ghosh in a long post in his ‘X’ handle, urging the junior doctors to withdraw their “political hunger strike”.
The journalist-politician claimed that he had achieved the unique feat of remaining within the party while continuing his fight to prove his innocence in the Saradha scam. Ghosh, then a Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP, was actually suspended by the party days before his arrest in November 2013.
“I have two things to tell them. I have repeatedly been on hunger strike. Once was a prolonged one, under the eyes of the CCTV cameras, guards and officers. Sometimes only on water, sometimes without even water. Till 12 days, I could continue with my morning walks in the prison compound. After that I could not. The courtyard where I would walk was also under surveillance. There were pressures, provocation and allures, but nothing could budge me from my stand,” Ghosh wrote.
“I fought against the system inside the prison all alone. Physically I had touched the rock-bottom. I did not allow doctors from the PG Hospital to touch me. I had no friends inside prison. Once I attempted death by suicide after informing the authorities. I was ridiculed. The case went to court and the ruling was in my favour. I am saying all these things because in my course of life I have earned the experience of going through the rigours of hunger strike. I did not commit any crime, so I fought my battle alone inside the prison. How far one can go, why and what could be the possible outcome can be guessed,” Ghosh wrote.
The former Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP made his post hours after the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front clarified that despite the festive season they will continue with their hunger strike.
Of the seven junior doctors who have been on hunger strike since Saturday night, one Aniket Mahato (who had joined from Sunday onwards) had to be hospitalized last night after his vitals fell and is currently at the intensive care unit of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
“Last evening our comrade Aniket Mahato had to be hospitalized following a decision of the medical team of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front. We want to know who is responsible for Mahato’s present health conditions. Why won’t the government be held responsible? ” asked Debashish Haldar, one of the leaders of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, who described the Mamata Banerjee government as “inhuman” during an impromptu news conference held at the hunger strike site.
“We had high hopes from the meeting with the chief secretary (held on Wednesday night). We did not get any directives on the demands. The imbecility of the government led to this situation. How many more of our comrades will have to get admitted to the ICU. We are firm in our demands. They have pledged their lives because there was no other way. This inhuman government has forced them to take this decision.”
The condition of another junior doctor, Snigdha Hazra, is also critical.
Earlier, when the junior doctors were on a cease work, Mamata had claimed that she ran a “humane” government and that is why no action was taken against the protesting junior doctors despite a Supreme Court directive for them to resume their duties.
In this festive week, over 200 senior doctors in different teaching hospitals in Calcutta and North Bengal have resigned en masse.
Members of the WBJDF will visit the home of the RG Kar medical college and hospital’s rape and murder victim in the northern suburbs, where her parents are holding a sit-in demonstration.
They also questioned the arrest of nine citizens who have been remanded to police custody till October 18 for raising slogans outside a Durga Puja pandal helmed by a Trinamul legislator.
“Is it a crime to raise the slogan ‘justice for RG Kar?” asked Haldar.
Ghosh still wants the junior doctors to end their hunger strike.
“There is no need to engage in politics needlessly. Maybe you can keep going for another seven-eight days on water, but don’t exert your body. CBI investigation is on and one chargesheet has been filed. The Supreme Court is monitoring the case. Why go on hunger strike now? For the political gains of a few do not torture yourself. Withdraw the hunger strike,” Ghosh appealed.
The junior doctors are determined to go ahead.
In a video message, the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front has asked Calcuttans to join them at the protest site on Friday evening.
“This is no longer the movement or demand of only the junior doctors. This is the people’s demand. We are on the same side,” Haldar said.
