Kolkata: In a new twist, the scheduled meeting between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a delegation of the West Bengal Junior Doctor’s Forum (WBJDF), which has been protesting against the ghastly rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, could not take place on Saturday evening as they did not even enter her residence after she turned down their demand to allow either a live telecast or recording of the proceedings by their side also.
The delegation of the 30 junior doctors even refused Banerjee’s invitation to come in for “a cup of tea”.
As the junior doctors stuck to their stand on either live telecast of the meeting or recording the proceedings by both sides, Banerjee told the junior doctors that since the matter was pending at the Supreme Court, she could not allow video recording by them.
“I promise you that the recording that will be done from our end will be given to you after we get permission from the apex court. I cannot accept all your demands. Still, if you do not want to have the meeting, at least have a cup of tea. But do not be drenched,” she said.
The delegates promptly refused the invitation and insisted that they wanted the video recording to be done from their end for transparency’s sake.
Banerjee also said that the request for the meeting on Saturday came from the junior doctors. “In your message, you did not mention live telecast, which you are now saying. Then why did you come? Why are you insulting me? I waited for you,” she said.
The delegation members continued with their argument that since they were representing the other junior doctors who were conducting a sit-in in front of the state Health Department headquarters at Salt Lake, a video recording on their end was necessary.
Finally, the Chief Minister went inside after giving a final call. “Those who want to come inside can come,” she said.
At the time the report was filed, the 30 representatives of the delegation were still assembled in front of the Chief Minister’s residence to discuss their next course of action.
The same issue had derailed the proposed talks at the Secretariat on Thursday.
The proposed meeting came hours after the Chief Minister made a sudden visit to the protest site and the state government issued a fresh invitation to the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), which accepted it.
The bus carrying the delegation of junior doctors reached the Chief Minister’s residence at Kalighat in south Kolkata at 6.40 p.m. – 40 minutes after the scheduled time of 6 p.m. All the 30 members of the delegation were allowed entry although the email invitation sent earlier by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had capped the size of the delegation at 15.
Accepting the invitation, the junior doctors, however, argued that it was impossible to limit the delegation number below 30 since one representative from each of the 26 medical colleges in the state would have to be accommodated in the delegation.
Banerjee on Saturday morning reached the spot of the sit-in demonstration and promised to consider their demands in a gradual manner provided the protesting doctors go back to their duties.
Greeted with the slogan “We want Justice” as she reached the venue accompanied by the state Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Banerjee had to wait for some time for the slogan-shouting to abate so she could speak.
Addressing them for five minutes, she said that she had come there as their “Didi” (sister), not the Chief Minister, in her last attempt to enter into “constructive dialogues” with the protesters.
“Despite security issues, I have personally come here. I have come here not as the Chief Minister. I salute your protests. I am myself a product of the students’ movement. Last night, there was torrential rain. I feel sad about the manner you have been protesting for the last many days. Even I could not sleep,” she said.
Claiming that she will try to consider the demands of the protesting junior doctors provided they rejoin duty, she said: “I will request CBI to ensure capital punishment for the guilty within the next three months. On my part, I will also take action against those who are guilty. I have come here just to say this,” she said.
In their immediate reaction, the protesting doctors said that while they welcomed the gesture of the Chief Minister, they were sticking to their demands on the issue.
“The Chief Minister has invited us for discussion. Even we are ready for the discussion with open minds,” a protesting junior doctor said.
The earlier meeting on Thursday convened at the state secretariat Nabanna failed as the state government refused to accept the junior doctors’ demand for the live telecast of the proceedings. A delegation of 30 junior doctors reached the Secretariat but had to go back without any meeting.
Meanwhile, the mother of the victim has claimed that she even wants a solution to the impasse, but after ensuring justice for her daughter.
“The Chief Minister has claimed that anyone who is found guilty will be punished. There are many who are guilty. I want all of them to be punished,” she demanded.
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