Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday requested junior doctors to resume work and said she was ready to talk to them if they so wanted.

Mamata said the state government had already met many of the demands by the protesting junior doctors. “If you feel you have something to say, you are always welcome. You may come in a team of 5 or 10,” she told a news conference at Nabanna.

Within hours, chief secretary Manoj Pant addressed the protesting doctors as “friends” and “brothers and sisters” and promised that the government would take all measures to increase safety at medical colleges. Pant also urged the doctors to resume work within 5pm on Tuesday, the time set by the Supreme Court.

The junior doctors expressed disappointment with the court’s remarks. “We are disappointed with the observations of the Supreme Court. It should have considered the situation more humanely,” said Aniket Mahato, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar. “We also want to know whether our demands are just or unjust. We have placed very specific demands based on what happened on August 9,” he added, referring to the rape and murder of the junior doctor.

Late on Monday, after a very long meeting, the junior doctors made new demands. They are now asking for the resignation of the state health secretary, the director of medical education and the director of health services. The junior doctors have also called for a march to Swasthya Bhavan on Tuesday noon from Salt Lake Karunamoyee.

The Puja economy also came up during Mamata’s news conference. “The festival season is coming. The shops of poor people remain open and they earn their livelihood. Folk artistes, hawkers, self-help groups, shopowners, markets, businesses... there is a flow at this time. But many want economic destruction. If you have any issues, come and talk. We have never said we will not talk to anyone,” she said about the street protests.

The chief minister urged: “Return to Puja, return to festivities. I will tell the CBI to return to justice.”

Mamata said Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal had expressed the desire to resign. One of the demands of the protesting junior doctors has been Goyal’s resignation. The chief minister said Goyal was required at the helm in Calcutta with the festival season approaching. “The Pujas are close. The officer must know the law and order (situation), Puja themes, police deployment. What would happen if you are a little patient for some days?” she said.

The junior doctors had said they had doubts about the Kolkata Police probe. They also said Goyal should have put in his papers as the police had failed to thwart a mob rampage at RG Kar on the intervening night of August 14 and 15.

The junior doctors expectedly did not buy Mamata’s argument. “A man knows he has failed. People know he has failed. Still keeping him in that post is an insult to the common man,” said Kinjal Nanda, a protesting junior doctor.

Mamata’s news conference came within minutes of the conclusion of Monday’s hearing where the apex court asked the junior doctors to resume work by 5pm on Tuesday.

The state health department told the court that 23 people had died after being denied treatment because of the ongoing cease-work.

In Calcutta, the junior doctors questioned the data provided by the health department. “We want to know where these 23 people have died. They should release the data,” said Mahato, the doctor leader.

At the news conference, Mamata asked the health secretary to provide details about how services have been hit in government medical colleges because of the month-long cease-work.

“Around 7 lakh patients have not received services at OPDs. We could not provide indoor admission services to 70,000 patients. More than 7,000 planned surgeries have had to be deferred,” said health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam. “More than 1,500 people who were scheduled to get cardiology treatment did not get it.”

While urging the junior doctors to return to work, Mamata said the state government had met most of their demands. “The health secretary went to have a dialogue with you. You too went to Swasthya Bhavan and made three-four demands. All of them have been met,” the chief minister said about the junior doctors. “You wanted a change of the (RG Kar) principal, head of the department, MSVP (medical superintendent and vice-principal) and assistant superintendent. All four were removed.”

“You will decide that we have to change everyone. You may give me 10 demands. I may fulfil five, may not fulfil five. I have already met many of your demands,” she said.

Within hours of Mamata’s news conference, chief secretary Pant, along with other senior officials of the Bengal government, addressed another media conference urging the junior doctors to join duties.

“We have full sympathy for them. We want them, as friends or as brothers and sisters, to come back to work. The Supreme Court has asked us (the state government) to take safety measures. We have already earmarked ₹100 crore through the health department for CCTV, toilets, washrooms, restrooms and lighting. We will do it soon, within seven days. We will consult the hospital authorities and doctors. We will do it fast,” Pant said.

“Many hospitals and medical colleges have private security. We will also strengthen it,” he added.

Seated next to Pant, director-general of police Rajeev Kumar said: “We are committed to providing a safe environment to doctors and strengthening security mechanisms. Suggestions are being sought from all sections of the hospitals.”