Kolkata:A delegation of junior doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), who have been protesting the brutal rape and murder of a colleague on August 9, met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on Monday evening.
The two-hour meeting aimed to resolve the impasse that has severely affected health services in the state. The doctors submitted five key demands to the Chief Minister, in the presence of state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, home secretary Nandini Chakraborty, and other senior officials. Two stenographers were also present to record the discussions.
Among the demands were the removal of Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal, and the dismissal of health secretary N.S. Nigam, director of Health Services, and the director of Medical Education from the state health department. The doctors also pressed for improved infrastructure in hospitals, which the state government reportedly agreed to address.
The breakthrough meeting followed a final invitation from Chief Secretary Pant, who urged the doctors to meet with the Chief Minister for open discussions. "This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting... we are once again inviting you to meet with the Honourable Chief Minister," Pant’s letter read.
The meeting came just a day before the Supreme Court is set to hear the high-profile case, which has garnered significant public attention. Meanwhile, the CBI, which is investigating the murder, found that the former RGKMCH principal, Dr Sandip Ghosh, appeared "deceptive" during his polygraph and voice analysis tests, according to sources.