Doctor dies in Kolkata: Mamata removes police commissioner, top health officials

Kolkata/New Delhi: Accepting most of the five-point list of demands put forward by protesting junior doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the decision to transfer some Kolkata Police and senior cadre of the state health department, including CP Vineet Goyal, from their posts.

Banerjee also announced the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME) and Director of Health Services (DHS) and also the Deputy Commissioner (North Division) who allegedly offered money to the parents of the RG Kar victim.

We will announce the name of the new police commissioner on Tuesday after 4 pm, after the scheduled hearing in the Supreme Court, the chief minister said at midnight after a meeting with protesting young doctors at her residence in Kalighat, just hours before the scheduled hearing in the Supreme Court in the RG Kar hospital case.

The decisions were formalised in the minutes of the meeting, which were signed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and countersigned by a delegation of 42 doctors who participated in the talks to end the impasse at RG Kar Hospital.

Protesting doctors have been on hold across the state for 38 days since the gruesome allegations of rape and murder of a trainee at RG Kar Hospital emerged on August 9, paralyzing state healthcare.

“We have accepted almost all the demands of doctors. Keeping in mind the plight of common people, we have done everything we could. I now appeal to doctors to get back to work,” Banerjee said, confirming that no disciplinary action would be taken against the agitating doctors.

The doctors considered this decision to be an expression of the head of state’s bowing to the pressure of the movement and the victory of the masses. However, they stated that they would continue protesting until words were transformed into concrete actions.

“We will decide on our next steps after the Supreme Court hearing and after confirmation that the government has issued the promised transfer orders,” said Dr Debasish Halder, one of the leaders of the sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, which has been going on for a week despite inclement weather.

“Though the CM has accepted our demand to remove the CP, DC (North), DHS and DME, she is yet to agree to remove the principal secretary of the health department or the DC (Central). Discussions on the hospital operational threat syndicate and the flourishing corruption scam remain incomplete. As of now, we have only verbal assurances on these issues. So, our fight is far from over,” added Dr Aniket Mahato, another leader.

The signed minutes of the meeting documented the sanction of Rs 100 million for infrastructure development in hospitals for doctors and reconstitution of patient welfare committees to ensure greater integration with stakeholders.

To address safety measures in hospitals, a special task force has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, comprising the Home Secretary, DGP, CP Kolkata and representatives of junior doctors, the minutes said. It also documented the establishment of an effective and responsive grievance mechanism in medical infrastructure across hospitals and colleges in the state.

Such measures are ineffective unless a democratic working atmosphere returns to hospitals and at the same time, threats and corrupt links are not eradicated, an agitated doctor said. Early morning celebrations with protesters playing drums and blowing conch shells were witnessed at the Swasthya Bhawan agitation venue.

Earlier on Monday, talks between the state government and the agitating junior doctors began around 6:50 pm after four failed attempts to initiate dialogue to resolve the impasse. The meeting lasted for around two hours. It took another three hours to complete the process of finalising the minutes of the meeting in the presence of the state chief secretary.

Previous attempts to resolve the issue stalled after the state government rejected the doctors’ demand for a live broadcast and video recording of the meeting. The protesting doctors later agreed to a compromise, now asking only for a recorded record of the meeting and a signed copy.

The state government also allowed two stenographers, accompanying the agitating doctors, to enter the premises to take minutes of the meeting. Meanwhile, the doctors continued their sit-in outside the Swasthya Bhawan, headquarters of the Health Department, for eight days and “stopped work” on the 38th day, demanding justice for the RG Kar victim and demanding the removal of top police and health officials.

The talks came to fruition after the state government invited protesting doctors for the “fifth and final time” for talks to end the impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to materialise due to a disagreement over the live broadcast of the meeting.

On Saturday, Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site and assured the doctors that their demands would be addressed. However, the proposed meeting fell through when the protesters alleged that they were asked to leave “unceremoniously” after waiting for three hours at the gate of the CM’s residence.

In the capital, senior doctors from RG Kar Medical College have alleged tampering with evidence in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case. In a statement, the doctors demanded that the authorities, the CBI and the Supreme Court speed up the investigation and punish the culprits without delay.