Around 68 senior doctors in Asia’s oldest teaching hospital, the Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta, joined their counterparts from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and put in their papers on Wednesday, exactly 60 days after the rape and murder of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor, blaming an “unresponsive” state government.

Amidst chants of “We want justice” with burning torches in the hands of the junior doctors, the seniors announced their decision to step down from their position.

The doctors at the teaching hospitals in Calcutta were joined by their counterparts at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, where the doctors have been on a hunger strike for over 72 hours, as well as 35 senior doctors from National Medical College.

Source by the Correspondent.

Source by the Correspondent.

“We, the teachers of North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling are dismayed and discouraged to continue our services, under such oppressive circumstances,” read the letter signed by senior doctors from several faculties in the teaching hospital, addressed to the director of medical education.

“While our students and juniors stand at the verge of disaster, we earnestly request the higher authorities to address their demands and ensure resolution of this crisis without any further delay,” the letter said.

The spate of resignations by senior doctors expressing their solidarity with the junior doctors – seven of whom are on a fast unto death in the heart of Calcutta while the rest of the city has gone into festive mood for Durga Puja that began on Wednesday – is unprecedented in Bengal’s history.

“I come from a family of doctors. My grandfather and father were both doctors. I have been practising for the last 30 years. I have never seen or heard of such mass resignations,” said Sanjay Banerjee, a doctor and editor of the Journal of Indian Medical Association.

The “alarm call for resignation” by the doctors at North Bengal Medical College said: “The hunger strikes at Kolkata and at our institution have now been considerably prolonged and we are seriously worried about the health and well-being of our students and juniors.”

The senior doctors in both Calcutta and Siliguri have expressed their disappointment with the state government’s lack of concern for the deteriorating health condition of the junior doctors on hunger strike.

“There being no such effort evident till now, we request you to kindly accept our resignation from the West Bengal Medical Education Service, as it is impossible to execute our duties with this sense of defeat and helplessness,” the letter stated.

On Wednesday, many members of civil society wrote a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee seeking her intervention.

“We appeal to the chief minister and the chief secretary to personally intervene and talk to the junior doctors, apprise them on the steps taken so far and give a deadline for the completion of the security measures that are being taken. Doctors save our lives. We cannot allow their lives to be endangered by a prolonged hunger strike. The government has a huge responsibility,” said the letter, which is in Bengali.

“We believe that the demands of the doctors and the complaints raised by them are justified and should be resolved immediately. The demands raised by them are related to the safety of the society at large and their health concerns,” the letter sent via email said.

AMong the signatories are theatre personality Koushik Sen and his family members Reshmi Sen and Riddhi Sen, and also theatre veteran Rudra Prasad Sen Gupta.

“While I support the demands that the junior doctors have raised and their movement, I feel a section is trying to make them into heroes,” Sen said.

“Lives are at stake here. We must strive towards bringing an end to this crisis and not let it prolong. Can anyone imagine what must be the state of mind of the parents of these seven junior doctors?”

The seven junior doctors have been on hunger strike since October 5.

“We are worried about our colleagues. Their sugar levels have dropped drastically. We have not seen any attempts from the government’s side,” said a junior doctor at the protest site.