Many protesting junior doctors on Friday said they were prepared to wait it out for even a year if that is what it takes for the state administration to heed their
demands.

On Friday, the doctors continued to camp outside Swasthya Bhavan for the fourth day. The sit-in started on Tuesday.

Several said they were still hopeful of a fruitful dialogue with the state administration to bring about positive changes in Bengal’s healthcare system and to ensure a fair investigation into the rape and murder of the young doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The junior doctors have ceased work since then.

Chandramouli Jha, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar, said they were willing to continue their sit-in till the administration acceded to their demands.

“We are prepared to wait for a year till our demands are met. The primary demand is a fair investigation and a speedy trial for the perpetrators of the heinous crime that took place inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital,” said Jha.

A postgraduate trainee from NRS Medical College and Hospital said the movement was a peaceful one that had the mandate of the people.

According to him, people from all walks of life had joined the movement and their protests would continue despite many trying to malign it by calling it a politically motivated one.

“We are not after anything but are only seeking a fair investigation into the rape and murder of the doctor inside her own workplace. In Bengal, doctors getting beaten up or assaulted has almost become the norm. The administration must understand that we don’t feel safe in our workplaces and we want a proper investigation into the case, followed by a speedy trial,” he said.

The charter of five demands of the junior doctors includes the resignation of the Kolkata Police commissioner, health secretary, director of health education (DHE) and director of health services (DHS), failing which they said they would continue their sit-in in front of Swasthya Bhavan.

A postgraduate trainee at a medical college in Calcutta said they were still hopeful that “better sense will prevail in the administration and a meeting can be held where the proceedings can be live-streamed”.

“There have been attempts to tamper with evidence. The police also allowed vandals to ransack RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. There have been efforts by the state government to keep the incident behind a smokescreen. This is why we have lost faith completely. What if the recorded videos are doctored and then released? This is why we want live-streaming. The people of Bengal are a part of this movement now and they cannot be kept in the dark,” she said.

On Friday, hundreds of cartons of cakes, biscuits, chocolates and water reached the protest site at regular intervals. Packages carried by food delivery executives kept reaching the site and three new tents were set up from where Abhaya clinics will
be run.

Around 7pm, a rally by professionals working in Sector V reached the protest site.