Kolkata, Jun 14 (IANS): A group of West Bengal intellectuals on Friday stood by the agitating junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here and urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to speak to the striking doctors to normalize the situation.

The intellectuals including renowned actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen, stage and screen actor Kaushik Sen, met the agitating doctors and expressed solidarity to their movement.

"We know that none of you look at the patients' cast or religion while treating them. We also know that you are feeling the pain for the patients who have been left untreated due to this impasse. We are with you in this," Aparna Sen said amid loud cheers from the junior doctors at the hospital premises.A

"The Chief Minister is our guardian. I would request her to change her stance a bit on this issue and talk to the young doctors here. They are like your children. Please come here once and talk to them to sort out the problems," she said.

Protesting against the brutal attack on two junior doctors by the family members of a dead patient at the NRS Medical College and Hospital on Monday night, doctors across the state have stopped work in most government hospitals in the state since Wednesday.

Banerjee on Thursday afternoon visited Kolkata's SSKM Hospital where she gave the agitating doctors a four hour ultimatum to withdraw their ongoing strike and warned of "strong action" if the situation was not normalised within the deadline.