The bus carrying the doctors to Nabanna Picture by Gautam Bose

Junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital sprang a surprise on Monday morning when they announced that they wouldn’t attend the meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna as the state government was yet to send a formal invitation.

The striking doctors read out a statement at a media conference held in front of the hospital’s emergency ward — the makeshift protest venue — around 11am, expressing their unwillingness to attend the meeting in the absence of a formal invitation.

Cries of “We want justice” emerged from the audience as the statement was being read out.

A letter from the director of medical education, Pradip Mitra, arrived around noon, dispelling fears that the doctors would stay away from the meeting.

“I have to confirm that the chief minister has agreed to meet two representatives from each medical college of the state at Nabanna. The discussion will focus on all your demands. I also confirm that the discussion and resolutions taken at this meeting shall be recorded and communicated to you. I request you to kindly come for this meeting…” wrote Mitra, who himself visited the campus soon after.

The meeting was scheduled for 3pm.

Many at NRS hospital credited Mitra for his negotiation skills that helped persuade the students to meet the chief minister at Nabanna.

The students, on receiving the letter, went into a huddle in the auditorium of the academy building. Mitra, too, went in.

The meeting ended at 1.30pm, after which the striking doctors presented another problem.

“We are ready to meet the chief minister at Nabanna but the meeting would have to be held in the presence of television cameras. Let the government take a decision,” said a statement read out by one of the doctors.

Asked about the condition, Mitra said: “They did not cite this condition at the meeting. We will, however, take steps to arrange for the coverage.”

The meeting was deferred to 4pm.

At 2.15pm, another letter reached the striking doctors. “I have been instructed by the additional chief secretary that the DME has consented for the live coverage of the said meeting,” read the letter signed by the principal of NRS medical college, Saibal Mukherjee.

Thirty-one medical students boarded a bus parked outside the academy building amid slogans of “We want justice” and left for Nabanna at 3.15pm.