Protesting junior doctors ignore West Bengal High Court directive

Junior doctors in West Bengal continued their protest on Wednesday, defying the Supreme Court’s order to return to work by 5 pm on September 10. The protest marks the 33rd day of the shutdown, demanding justice for a colleague who was allegedly raped and murdered in a government hospital last month.

Despite assurances from the Supreme Court and the West Bengal government that no adverse action, including punitive transfers, would be taken against them, the junior doctors continued their sit-in outside the Swasthya Bhawan, headquarters of the state health department, for the second consecutive day.

Government officials invited the protesting doctors to a meeting at the state secretariat, Nabanna, to resolve the issue. However, the doctors rejected the invitation, calling it “insulting” as it came from the state health secretary, whose resignation they are demanding. They also called limiting the number of representatives to 10 “humiliating”. The CBI is currently investigating the alleged rape and murder on the directive of the Calcutta High Court.

(Based on information from the agency.)