Bengal govt dismisses junior docs' terms for talks; standoff continues

The West Bengal government on Wednesday rejected the demands of the state's striking junior doctors in government hospitals for chief minister Mamata Banerjee's presence and a live broadcast as preconditions for talks to resolve the month-long 'cease work' and standoff over the alleged rape-murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.

On the 33rd day of protests and a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan for the second day, minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya said the government remains open to discussions but suggested that "political forces" might be influencing the protests. This led to a quick rebuttal from the medics, who dismissed the claims as baseless.

The minister urged the doctors to rejoin work by respecting the Supreme Court's directive to them, but refrained from giving a direct reply on whether the state government would take any punitive action for violating the apex court's order.

Meanwhile, TMC (Trinamool Congress) leaders and MLAs issued seemingly veiled threats to the agitating junior doctors by calling them "anti-nationals" and saying the party too might conduct counter-protests against the medics.

The government had invited the doctors to a meeting at state secretariat Nabanna at 6.00 pm on Wednesday, but the invitation did not confirm whether Banerjee would attend the meeting.

Chief secretary Manoj Pant, in an email sent at 3.49 am on Wednesday, urged the doctors to send a delegation of 12 to 15 members and stressed the importance of resuming work, citing the Supreme Court order directing them to return to duty by 5.00 pm on Tuesday.

"You will, no doubt, appreciate and agree that as a law-abiding citizen, it is everyone's bounden duty to adhere to these directions. Unfortunately, it has not been adhered to so far," Pant wrote, emphasising the need for doctors to return to their duties to provide necessary care to the public.

Despite the invitation, the junior doctors insisted on several preconditions before agreeing to the meeting. "We want the discussion to be held in the presence of the CM and be telecast live. We want at least 30 representatives as this movement is spread across various medical colleges and hospitals," a member of the junior doctors' forum said at a press conference.

The government, however, stood firm on its stance, refusing to accept any preconditions for the meeting. Bhattacharya, alongside Pant and DGP Rajeev Kumar, urged doctors to resume duties, stressing the urgent need to restore healthcare services disrupted by the prolonged agitation.

"We were quite hopeful that the doctors would participate in the meeting. But they did not. No meeting can be held with so many conditions. We waited for them to turn up with an open mind, but they did not take any proactive step to resolve the situation," she said.

She added that the doors for discussion remain open, despite the doctors' conditions, but stressed that the government would not accept demands for a live broadcast or the CM's mandatory presence at the talks.

"We will again request them to rejoin duties as per the Supreme Court's directive and show respect to it. They must not forget their responsibility in this noble profession. They must not fall prey to political provocation," Bhattacharya said.

The protests began after the body of a postgraduate trainee was found at the hospital on 9 August. A civic volunteer was arrested by Kolkata Police the following day, though the probe was handed to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) on 14 August following a Calcutta High Court order.

The junior doctors have since been demanding justice for their deceased colleague, along with enhanced security measures for women health professionals and the suspension of several officials, including Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal and state health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam for their alleged mishandling of the case.

In addition to security concerns, the doctors have called for the removal of Sandip Ghosh, former principal of the hospital, accusing him and others of tampering with evidence.

The junior doctors have also emphasised the need for transparency in the ongoing probe and have demanded more democratic representation in official bodies to address the threats and issues faced by healthcare professionals. They indicated that they would consider attending the meeting, but would reserve the right to discuss the outcomes with their peers before announcing any decision.

Earlier in the day, the doctors reached out to Banerjee, expressing willingness to meet "anytime and anywhere", provided the discussion is streamed live. However, as of Wednesday evening, no resolution had been reached.

Meanwhile, TMC MLA Humayun Kabir, in a veiled threat, said they too would organise counter-protests as people are suffering owing to the doctors' agitation.

"A woman doctor has been raped and murdered. We want the criminals to be punished. But what is going on in the name of protests by doctors is unacceptable. If people are dying as they are not getting treatment, then how do the doctors expect to stay safe and secure?" he told reporters.

Another TMC leader Chandan Mukhopadhyay criticised the agitating medics for defying the Supreme Court directive to rejoin work and branded them as "anti-nationals".

Senior BJP leader Agnimitra Paul was greeted with "go back" slogans by the agitating junior doctors near their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, with Paul claiming she was merely passing through on her way to a nearby BJP office and not intending to politicise the protests, a claim disputed by a medic who accused her of making political remarks at the protest site.