RG Kar case: Junior doctors' cease work to continue despite SC order

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal on Monday evening, 9 September, said they would continue their ‘cease work’ to demand justice for the R.G. Kar hospital doctor who was raped and murdered, despite Supreme Court directions to resume duties by 5 pm on Tuesday, 10 September.

Demanding the resignation of the state’s health secretary and director of health education (DHE), the striking medics said that they would also take out a rally to 'Swasthya Bhavan' – the headquarters of the health department in Salt Lake – on Tuesday noon.

"Our demands are unfulfilled and justice is not meted out to the victim. We will continue our agitation as well as the ‘cease work’. We want the health secretary and DHE to resign. Tomorrow noon, we will hold a rally to the Swasthya Bhavan," one of the protesting doctors told PTI after their governing body meeting in Kolkata.

The body of the postgraduate trainee was found with injury marks in a seminar room of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. She was allegedly raped and killed while on duty. The incident has triggered nationwide outrage and protests.

The junior doctors have been observing ‘cease work’ at state-run hospitals for nearly a month now.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court directed the striking medics to resume their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday to avoid adverse action by the state government.

The court passed the direction after the West Bengal government assured it that no action, including punitive transfers, would be taken against the protesting doctors if they resume work.