Junior doctors respond to Banerjee's 'final' talks invite
What's the story
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) has responded to the state government's "fifth and final" invitation for talks, expressing their willingness to participate. However, they have requested an "official and administrative place" as the venue instead of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence. The doctors have been protesting over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor since August 9.
Transparency call
Doctors demand transparency amid new developments
The doctors' response comes in light of recent arrests by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a case related to evidence tampering. The accused include Dr. Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Abhijit Mondal, officer-in-charge at Tala police station. The WBJDF stated that "these two new developments increase the significance of transparency of the meeting even more than before."
Alternative suggestions
Doctors propose alternatives for meeting transparency
The junior doctors have proposed alternatives to ensure transparency during the talks. They suggested that if separate videographers are not possible, the state government should provide them with a video of the proceedings immediately after the meeting. Another option put forth by them is recording minutes of the meeting with full transcripts by both parties and handing these over at its conclusion.
Ongoing protest
Doctors' protest and demands persist amid legal proceedings
The junior doctors have been protesting since August 9, demanding the removal of some top state officials among other things. Despite the Supreme Court's directive to resume work by September 10, they have insisted on not returning until their demands are met. Previous meetings between Banerjee and the junior doctors were unsuccessful due to disagreements over live-streaming and videography, which the state government opposed citing sub-judice concerns.
Meeting failures
Previous meetings with CM Banerjee unsuccessful
Previous attempts at dialogue between Banerjee and the protesting doctors have been unsuccessful. On September 12, a planned meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna was canceled when doctors insisted on live-streaming the proceedings. A similar situation occurred on Saturday at Banerjee's residence, where doctors demanded permission to record the meeting but were denied by the state government due to legal considerations.