'Please give up hunger strike': Mamata appeals to junior doctors through Chief Secretary's phone

Kolkata, Oct 19
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to junior doctors, over the mobile phone of Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, to withdraw their fast-unto-death agitation in support of their demands over the ghastly rape and murder of a junior woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.

Pant, accompanied by the Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Kolkata Police's Deputy Commissioner, Central division, Indira Mukherjee suddenly turned up at the dais of the hunger strike by seven junior doctors at Esplanade in central Kolkata.

There, the Chief Secretary contacted the Chief Minister on his mobile phone and she made her appeal to the protesting junior doctors over its speaker.

"I request you to withdraw the hunger strike. Please come to the discussions. Most of your demands have already been fulfilled. Please give me three to four months. I will arrange to conduct elections for different councils in all medical colleges & hospitals. Please withdraw the hunger strike," Banerjee said.

On the demand of the junior doctors for the removal of the Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam, she said if all the key officials of a crucial department are shifted at one time, then there will be administrative difficulties.

"Already we have removed the Kolkata Police Commissioner and some other officials," the Chief Minister pointed out.

She said the common people feel helpless if they do not get medical services at the state-run hospitals. “I am in favour of humanity. I also want justice. But at the same time, the treatment of the common people will have to be ensured. So I am again requesting you to withdraw from the hunger strike and get back to work," she added.

Incidentally, it was on Friday night only, that the junior doctors cautioned the state government to resume total cease-work from next Tuesday unless their pending demands are fulfilled.

The CM's appeal came as the fast-unto-death demonstration by a group of junior doctors against the ghastly rape and murder of their colleague at R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata entered the 15th day.

Meanwhile, a mega rally from the residence of the victim junior doctor at Panihati in North 24 Parganas district to Esplanade, the venue of continuing fast-unto-death protests by junior doctors, is also to held on Saturday.