Kolkata, Sep 20 (IANS): The sit-in protest by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), in front of the state Health Department headquarters at Salt Lake, against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital last month was officially lifted on Friday evening.
The protesters had said on late Thursday they would end the protest and the official announcement was made after the junior doctors led a protest rally up to the office of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at CGO Complex, also in Salt Lake, on Friday evening.
Through the rally, the junior doctors demanded that the central agency complete the investigation at the earliest and ensure justice for the victim.
However, the protesting doctors reiterated that although they have decided to withdraw their cease-work agitation, the withdrawal will be partial and they will be joining duty but only in the "general emergency" departments in different medical colleges & hospitals from Saturday. They will also be participating in the medical camps to be opened by the state government amid the looming health crisis in the wake of the post-flood situation in the state.
Even while announcing the official lifting of their protests, the junior doctors cautioned that the partial calling off of the cease-work might be temporary and it would be resumed if their demands which the state government has claimed to have accepted are not fulfilled on paper.
"Already some of our demands like the replacement of the Kolkata Police Commissioner and some other key officials in the state Health Department have been met. The state government has promised to fulfill our demands which include adequate safety measures for us in the medical colleges and hospitals to prevent the recurrence of such ghastly tragedies. While we will be continuing our legal battle at the Supreme Court, we will also keep a watch on whether the state government is really serious about fulfilling the promises they made about meeting our demands," said a protesting junior doctor.