West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and protesting junior doctors on Monday held a meeting after resolving the deadlock. The first round of talk lasted for nearly 2 hours at Mamata’s residence, followed by another two-and-a-half hours of finalising minutes of meetings.
In the meeting, Mamata accepted the protesting medic’s demands and decided to remove Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. Goyal will resign at 4 pm on Tuesday. After the meeting, Mamata Banerjee said that the talks yielded positive results. She said that Goyal is also ready to resign from his post.
During the meeting, doctors also demanded the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), DHS and the Health Secretary. CM Mamata accepted the demand and removed DME, DHS from their posts. She said that she talked to everyone separately and she believes that the doctors should return to work.
Notably, after many invitations by the government, the medics decided to meet CM Mamata on Monday. The junior medics of RG Kar Hospital, who left work demanding justice for the Kolkata rape-murder case victim put conditions for the meeting. Their condition of noting minutes of the meeting was accepted by the Chief Secretary, following which, the doctors met CM Banerjee.
The latest talk comes after four unsuccessful bids to initiate a dialogue to resolve the deadlock. The delegation of around 30 junior doctors was escorted by a pilot police vehicle to Banerjee’s residence at 6.20 pm. The meeting, which was originally scheduled at 5 pm, began around 7 pm.
However, the agitating junior doctors on Monday night said they would continue with their ‘cease work’ and demonstration till all the promises made to them by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over their demands materialise.
They also hailed Banerjee’s announcement about removing Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal from the post, describing it as their moral victory.
“We will continue with our cease work and demonstration here at the ‘Swasthya Bhavan’ (health department headquarters) till the promises made by the CM materialise. We also look forward to Tuesday’s hearing in the Supreme Court in connection with the RG Kar rape-murder case,” one of the agitating doctors said.
The junior doctors said they would hold a meeting after the hearing on Tuesday, and take a call on their ‘cease work’ and demonstration.
