Mamata Banerjee urges doctors to return to duty, refutes offering money to deceased doctor’s family…reports Asian Lite News
Amid ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged doctors to return to work and denied offering money to the family of a deceased doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata.
During an administrative review meeting at Nabanna Sabhaghar, Banerjee stated, “The Supreme Court has requested doctors to resume work immediately. I also request that they return to duty, and if they wish to meet me, they are always welcome.”
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Banerjee encouraged people to “return to festivities” as Durga Puja approaches, and requested junior doctors to resume duty as soon as possible. She dismissed accusations of offering money to the victim’s family as “slander” and a conspiracy involving the Centre and left parties.
“I have never offered money to the deceased doctor’s family, this is nothing but slander . I told the deceased doctor’s parents that if they wanted to do something in their daughter’s memory, our government is with them. Kolkata Commissioner of Police, Vineet Goyal, offered to resign after RG Kar protests, but we need someone who knows law and order ahead of Durga Puja,” she said.
On Monday, the Supreme Court reminded that no action should be taken against doctors once they return to work by tomorrow, 5 pm, while hearing the case related to the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
However, the court noted that if they fail to do so, the court will not be able to restrain the state government, and further absence from work might lead to disciplinary action against them.
She further stated that if they have any demands, they need to put them forward to the health department, and it would be accepted by them. She further mentioned, that, according to a complaint, two doctors were already suspended.
“We accepted all your demands; just meet with the health department regarding this. According to a complaint, two doctors were already suspended,” she added.
Banerjee alleged that migrant workers from Rajasthan were attacked in Odisha, with three reported deaths, and claimed that Bengalis were being targeted in the BJP-ruled state. She emphasised that such incidents would not be tolerated in West Bengal.
Banerjee also accused outsiders of increased crime in the state and requested them to take “responsibility.” Regarding the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, she said, “Aprajita bill implementation is our priority; if the bill is approved, the bill will be implemented.”
She also urged the officials to maintain the health infrastructure and to make sure that no action is taken against the doctors.
Banerjee accused outsiders of increasing crime in the state and requested them to take responsibility. She alleged that the ongoing protests were a conspiracy by the Centre and CPI-M, and that the Reclaim the Night movement was causing disturbance for senior citizens.
“Some people taking advantage of turmoil in neighbouring countries have forgotten that India, Bangladesh are separate nations,” Banerjee said.
Mamata Banerjee further instructed the district magistrates and the superintendents of police to be on high alert during Durga Puja and also requested the Election Commission to extend the registration of voter ID cards by one month due to puja preparations.
A second-year postgraduate medical student was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9.
Opposition slam Didi’s remarks
Mamata Banerjee’s appeal that people protesting on the streets should return to festival mood ahead of next month’s Durga Puja has drawn scathing criticism from the opposition parties and a section of the protesters.
According to Bengal BJP President and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar, the Chief Minister does not have the right to dictate people as to when they will end their agitation on such a sensitive issue.
“Entire Bengal is in a state of shock. Even elderly persons who never walked in any procession in their lives are now on the streets condemning the ghastly rape-murder. But instead of expressing solidarity with the spontaneous protesters, the Chief Minister is asking them to get into festival mood. This is simply unacceptable,” Majumdar said.
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said the forthcoming Durga Puja cannot be used as an excuse to bridle the spontaneous public protests against the R.G. Kar tragedy.
“Let the festival and protests continue side by side,” Chakraborty said.
Rimjhim Sinha, who has become the face of the protests by women on the issue, said people should decide whether they will continue with the protests or get swayed in festival mood.
“The protest is not just against what has already happened. It is also to ensure such things are not repeated in the future,” she said.
RG Kar victim’s mother slams Mamata
The mother of the junior doctor who was found raped and murdered at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Monday questioned the appeal made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the protestors should return to festival mood ahead of next month’s Durga Puja and refrain from stating mass agitations.
Interacting with mediapersons on Monday, the Chief Minister said, “If you stay on the roads every night, it will cause inconvenience to many people, especially the elders. There is a bar on using microphones after 10 p.m. which we have ignored so far. I will request all of you to get back into festival mood. I will also request the CBI to ensure justice in the RG Kar case.”
“All the lights of the festival at my residence have extinguished following the horrific end met by my daughter. In such a mental state, how can I ask the protesters to return to festive mood? What the Chief Minister said was an attempt to end the spontaneous protests demanding justice for my daughter,” the victim’s mother told the media after the Chief Minister issued the appeal through media from the state Secretariat Nabanna.
The protesting junior doctors also found the Chief Minister’s appeal ‘highly insensitive’.
According to them, the appeal is an attempt to isolate the protesting representatives of the medical fraternity from the people who have joined the protests spontaneously from different walks of life.
The junior doctors also did not buy the Chief Minister’s claim that although Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal met her with the intention of resigning from his post, she did not accept his proposal keeping in mind the forthcoming festive season starting with Durga Puja (October 9-13).
According to them, not accepting Goyal’s resignation is equivalent to insulting the mass demand for his removal from the chair.
“Using the festival season as an excuse is unacceptable,” a protesting doctor said.
Meanwhile, Bengal BJP President and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar said the Chief Minister does not have the right to dictate people as to when they will end their agitation on such a sensitive issue.
“Entire Bengal is in a state of shock. Even elderly persons who never walked in any procession in their lives are now on the streets condemning the ghastly rape-murder. But instead of expressing solidarity with the spontaneous protesters, the Chief Minister is asking them to get into festival mood. This is simply unacceptable,” Majumdar said.
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