The city police on Wednesday allowed an association of doctors and others a two-hour window to protest on the RK Kar issue in Y-channel in Esplanade.

A petition by the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) challenging the police’s decision to deny them permission for a 10-day sit-in at the Dorina crossing in Esplanade did not come up for hearing at Calcutta High Court on Wednesday.

The police emailed Abhaya Mancha, an association of doctors and civil society members, on Wednesday allowing them to protest in Y-channel. Members of Abhaya Mancha had emailed the police for permission to protest at the Dorina crossing,” earlier this week.

About 250 people assembled in Y-channel on Wednesday afternoon.

“We gave Abhaya Mancha permission to protest in Y-channel for two hours on Wednesday afternoon,” said Subhankar Sinha Sarkar, an additional commissioner of Kolkata Police.

The email from the police to Abhaya Mancha said they could organise the protest between 3pm and 5pm in Y-channel, about 50m from the Dorina crossing. The police’s email also said the venue was “conventionally used for such programme by any organisation”.

Y-channel is a lane that originates from the SN Banerjee Road-JL Nehru Road intersection (Dorina crossing) and goes towards the Esplanade tram depot. Buses and cars do not ply through Y-channel, said police officers.

The protestors raised two demands on Wednesday. One of them is that the CBI submit a supplementary chargesheet against former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh and former Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mandal in connection with the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the medical college on August 9.

The other is that the state government give concurrence to prosecute Ghosh and former RG Kar house staff Ashis Pandey in a case related to alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar.

The protestors also burnt effigies of the Prime Minister and the Bengal chief minister, hinting at a tacit understanding between the state and the Centre on the RG Kar issue.

The permission to Abhaya Mancha came just two days after Kolkata Police refused permission for a 10-day sit-in by the JPD. The platform wanted to set up a dais at the Dorina crossing.

The JPD and Abhaya Mancha have many common members. The demands of both organisations are also the same.

“We did not confront the police. On behalf of Abhaya Mancha, we wanted to protest at the Dorina crossing but the police gave us permission for Y-channel. We did as told by the police and conducted a peaceful protest,” said Tamonas Chaudhuri, a member of Abhaya Mancha and the JPD.

The JPD has petitioned Calcutta High Court against the police’s decision denying them permission for a sit-in at the Dorina crossing.

“The matter was to be heard on Wednesday. We are hoping it will be heard on Thursday,” said Chaudhuri.

IMA Bengal poll

Former Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen was on Wednesday elected honorary secretary of the Indian Medical Association, Bengal chapter, for 2025 to 2027.

Subhas Chakraborty was elected IMA Bengal’s president for 2025-26 and Chandan Kumar Ghosal was elected president for 2026-27.