Police on Thursday sent a letter to the junior doctors asking them to vacate the protest site at Esplanade as the health parameters of the doctors who are on fast till death, have been deteriorating.

The letter was sent to each of the seven junior doctors who were on a hunger strike for more than 100 hours and requested them to avail medical assistance to prevent further deterioration of their health.

The letter, sent by the officer-in-charge of Hare Street police station, reads: “It is to mention that you have been on hunger strike at the Dorina crossing since 05.10.2024 (9pm) and afterwards on a forcefully erected stage without permission from a competent authority. Information from the display board (on health parameters) kept in front of your stage as well as from other sources indicates, that your condition is deteriorating.”

“It is requested that you vacate your current place of stay and avail medical assistance to prevent further deterioration (of your health).”

Seven junior doctors are on fast till death with a 10-point demand following the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

While six started the fast till death on Saturday evening, another junior doctor joined them on Sunday night. Since Monday, two junior doctors at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital have been on a fast-until-death programme.

Aniket Mahato, one of the protesting junior doctors who is on a hunger strike, said that they will not budge from the strike or the dais at Esplanade till their demands are met.

“We will not end the hunger strike or move from here till we get justice for our colleague and our 10-point demand is met,” said Mahato.

The junior doctors on Thursday sent an email to chief secretary of Bengal, Manoj Pant, seeking a status report on their demands and the work undertaken at the different medical colleges and hospitals as well as the security audit conducted by the state government.

The email was sent from the email account of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) at 3.57pm.

Parichay Panda, one of the protesting junior doctors who was at Wednesday night’s meeting in Swasthya Bhavan, said the meeting was extremely disappointing.

“...yet again we were met with verbal assurances only.”

On Thursday Mahato’s health deteriorated. A doctor, who was regularly examining the doctors, said and Mahato’s samples showed the presence of ketones.

“The body produces three types of ketone bodies when it starts to burn fat and protein as fuel. This indicates lower levels of blood glucose which is a key element for the
brain to function,” said Trinesh Mondal, one of the junior doctors who checked on Mahato.

A senior doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said that they had kept a bed in the intensive care unit (ICU) ready for Mahato but he had requested them not to move him immediately.

In the evening, a team of doctors were sent by the state health department to check the medical conditions of the seven doctors.

Several senior doctors urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee to end the impasse.

“The condition of the doctors who have been on a fast for the last five days has started deteriorating. A meeting with the senior bureaucrats of the state government and the junior doctors on Wednesday yielded no results. Against this backdrop, we urge the chief minister Mamata Banerjee to intervene,” said Subir Ganguly, a senior radiation oncologist and former president of the Indian Medical Association, state branch.