Mamata Banerjee Visits Protesting Doctors

Taking a surprise step to end the impasse between her government and protesting doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday visited the site where the medics are staging a sit-in and addressed them. 

The doctors have been protesting since a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month and began a sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal health department, on Tuesday. There have been moves for a discussion between the state government and the doctors since then but they have been getting stalled, most recently over the protestors’ demand for live streaming of the talks. 

Ms Banerjee reached the protest site on Saturday and struck a conciliatory tone, asking if she could address the doctors. Amid slogan-shouting she said in Bengali, “Please listen to me for five minutes and then shout slogans, it is your democratic right to do so. I have been waiting for a long time. Against the advice of my security officers, I have come here to salute your protests. I have also been part of student movements, I know my post is not a big deal, your voice is. It was raining all night and you suffered. I couldn’t sleep either because I was feeling bad.”

Acknowledging that the protests had been going on for over a month, she urged the protesting doctors to return to work, assuring them that the government would lend a sympathetic ear to their demands.

“I will study the demands, I don’t run the government alone. I will speak to the chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police. Action will be taken against those who are found guilty. I want justice for Tilottama (the name given to the woman who was raped and murdered). From your platform, I will request the CBI to speed up the investigation. I request you, I need some time to consider your demands. If you trust me, come and talk to me, I will look into your demands,” she assured the doctors. 

Urging the protesters to return to work, she said their families were worried about them and many patients had died because they did not get proper healthcare. 

“Return to work. I will ensure that no injustice happens. I will set up committees in every hospital which will have senior and junior doctors as members. Everyone found guilty will be punished, it is not like they are my friends (referring to the demand for the resignation of some officials). Please talk amongst yourselves and return to work, I will not take any action. In Uttar Pradesh, action was taken, I won’t do that. I know you work a lot, I know how important you are,” she said. 

“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis… if you keep your faith in me, I will look into your complaints. The case is on in the Supreme Court (which had set a September 10 deadline for the doctors to return to work) and the next hearing is on Tuesday. I don’t want you to suffer. I have come to make a request as your ‘didi’ (big sister), not as a chief minister. I am empathetic and I support your protest… I had also gone on a hunger strike for 26 days (during the protest against the acquisition of farmland in Singur), but no one from the then government came to speak to me,” Ms Banerjee added. 

Doctors’ Take

The doctors shouted “we want justice” loudly towards the end of Ms Banerjee’s address and, talking to reporters after she finished speaking, some of the protesters said that while they welcomed her overture, they want a “transparent” meeting – referring to the demand for a live telecast of discussions. 

“We welcome Mamata Banerjee’s visit. We are ready to hold talks with her. Media is present here. Let there be a transparent meeting with her over our five demands,” said a protesting doctor. 

Bone Of Contention

The West Bengal government had invited the doctors for talks on Tuesday, but they had rejected the invite because it had come from the health secretary, whose resignation they are seeking. On Wednesday, the doctors had made four key demands for the discussion to take place: they should be allowed to send a delegation of at least 30, the discussion should be held in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it should be centred around their five-point demands, and the meeting should be live telecast.

Three of the four demands for talks had been met and the doctors had reached the state secretariat on Thursday for a meeting but it did not take place because the government did not agree to its live streaming. 

Explaining the rationale after Thursday’s meeting did not happen, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who said she had been waiting for the doctors for over two hours, stated that the matter was in court and live streaming the meeting would be against protocol.

Ms Banerjee apologised to the people of West Bengal and said she was willing to step down, but also spoke of a “political colour” to the protests.

Demands

The five-point demands of the doctors include holding all individuals responsible for the rape and murder – as well as any destruction of evidence – accountable and punishing them and taking strict disciplinary action against former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Principal Sandip Ghosh. 

They have also pushed for the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, among others; ensuring adequate security measures for healthcare workers; and eliminating a ‘threat culture’ prevailing in government healthcare institutions.