With doctors from other hospitals and people from different walks of life joining in the ongoing demonstration, the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Monday turned into a centre of protests over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor in the institution on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Resident doctors at all medical colleges in West Bengal have scaled up their protests over the incident and struck work, including boycott of all emergency and non-emergency services. The protest got reignited after Dr Sandip Ghosh, who resigned as Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Monday, was appointed the Principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH) hours later. The protesting doctors insisted that they will not allow Ghosh to take charge as the new principal of the Calcutta National Medical College. Dr Suhrita Paul, who was deputed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the state Health Department, has been given the charge of the principal of the RG Kar Medical College. In the evening, thousands of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and members of the general public holding placards reached the RG Kar Medical College, demanding justice for the rape and murder victim. The CNMCH doctors and students also took a rally to the RG Kar Hospital, demanding Ghosh's removal from their college as well. The students from Presidency University also joined in at the RG Kar Hospital to show solidarity with the protesting doctors. Kankana Joarder from Presidency University, who joined the protest at RG Kar Hospital, said, “It's a shame for the government. It is unbelievably shocking to think that a doctor was raped and murdered in a government hospital in the heart of Kolkata.” Arna Bhattacharya, another protester from the university, said, “There is Lakshmir Bhandar (a scheme aims to empower women) but what about the safety of Lakshmis (women). What is the use of money if we can’t walk around freely?” Anwesha Sinha, also a protester, said, “Statistically speaking, Kolkata is the safest city in India. But this is the reality of the country's safest city.” Bhaswati Mukherjee of the Nurses Unity Forum of SSKM Hospital, said, “Many people are trying to sabotage this movement. But we will not stop. We will fight till we get justice. Why is the government hesitating and delaying the transfer of the probe to the CBI?” After the rally, the protesting doctors, nurses and paramedical staff held a meeting to decide the further course of action. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Socialist Party’s student and youth organisations staged protests in front of the RG Kar Medical College. They also demanded judicial inquiry into the rape-murder incident. The student and youth organisations of the CPI(M) — SFI and DYFI — also continued their dharna in front of the medical college. Earlier, the doctors and junior doctors were observing “cease work” for non-emergency services in the government-run medical colleges in the state. But the fresh move to strike emergency services is likely to paralyse services at these hospitals. The resident doctors have demanded a “fast-track judicial inquiry” into the rape-murder with an exemplary punishment to the perpetrator(s) besides the removal of RG Kar Medical College Principal, Medical Superintendent, Dean, Head of Department (HoD) of Pulmonary Medicine, and the Additional Commissioner of Police under whose jurisdiction the local police post falls. Besides the principal, Medical Superintendent Dr Sanjay Vashisth was removed from the post . The protesters have also demanded proper compensation to the victim’s family and an apology from the police for allegedly manhandling protesting students on Saturday.
