An indefinite hunger strike by a junior doctor at North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) here entered the fifth day on Friday to press the Bengal government to concede 10 demands raised by junior doctors at state-run medical colleges.

Sandip Mondal is the only junior doctor who has been fasting outside Calcutta to force the Mamata Banerjee government to fulfil the 10 demands related to the medics's safety and security.

Earlier, two other junior doctors were also on hunger strike at the NBMCH — the oldest and largest medical college in north Bengal, located at Susrutanagar — but they fell ill and had to be admitted to the critical care unit.

Mondal is a second-year postgraduate trainee in the ENT department of the NBMCH.

“Sandip is continuing his protest despite his deteriorating health. We want the state government to accept our demands, which include improvements in hospital staffing and working conditions and safety of doctors and other staff on the premises of the medical colleges,” said Koustav Chakrabortty, president of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA), NBMCH branch.

BJP protest

A group of BJP supporters led by Pradip Debnath, a leader in the Susrutanagar area, demonstrated at the super-speciality block of the NBMCH on Friday, alleging that a private agency that engages security guards at the medical college, had taken money from youths to provide them with jobs.

Debnath said the agency should recruit guards based on educational qualification and physical fitness.

“Instead, the agency has taken money ranging from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹2 lakh from youths and has given them jobs. We also have information that the agency has bluffed them by saying it is a government job,” he alleged.

The BJP leader said a security guard receives just ₹8,600 as salary a month and yet, money has been collected from the recruits.

Representatives of the private security agency declined comments.