West Bengal junior doctors announce mass protest rally a week before Durga Puja

West Bengal junior doctors call for protests after rape-murder incident, demanding justice and safe workplaces for medical professionals.

West Bengal junior doctors have called for two protest events in the wake of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor on duty at a seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) in Kolkata. The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF) made the call at the mass convention organised on Friday (September 27, 2024) to mark the 50th day of their ongoing protests to corral people towards their cause and revisit their list of demands.

The front has invited people to take to the streets on September 29, the eve of Supreme Court hearing the case. It also announced a maha micchil (mass rally) and gathering at Dharmatala in Central Kolkata on the occasion of Mahalaya on October 2. It is believed that Mahalaya marks the arrival of Goddess Durga to the realm of mortals for puja and kicks off the devi paksha fortnight during which the Goddess is worshipped.

The rape-murder incident on August 9, 2024 triggered statewide protests with junior doctors and the public taking to streets demanding justice for the victim and safe workplace for medical professionals.

The doctors’ convention took place at the auditorium of the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (aka SSKM Hospital) in South Kolkata after the State administration allegedly denied permission for the WBJDF to conduct the programme at a public venue in the city.

At the convention, senior and junior doctors, cultural performers, civil society activists, and film and TV celebrities made speeches reiterating the need for speedy justice for the victim.

In her address, Sanghamitra Ghosh, national president of the Indian Public Health Association, said, “I am an alumnus of R.G. Kar, but we do not recognise R.G. Kar the way we see it now. I have taken to the streets almost every day since the protests began. I cannot fathom that this could happen to a doctor on duty in a hospital.”

Expressing solidarity with the movement, Dr. Ghosh said that the demand for justice is intricately linked to the rest of the demands put forward by the WBJDF, including an end to the culture of blackmail and intimidation in hospitals and increased safety for healthcare workers.