Ex-R G Kar Medical College principal’s effigy burned as Ravana for Dussehra in Tripura

The event in the town in South Tripura district was held under tight security, with Superintendent of Police Ashok Sinha, Municipal Council chairman Nikhil Chandra Gope and a contingent of security personnel present at the venue. Sinha said that attendance this year was higher than in previous years and during Durga Puja.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Sribash Sen, president of the Oriental Club, which organises the Dussehra event annually, said, “Sandip Ghosh has done something worse than Ravana. We despise him heavily, and our anguish cannot be expressed enough in words. Therefore, we have tried to depict him as Ravana on Dussehra, where the demon king’s effigy is burnt as a sign of the victory of virtue over evil.”

Visuals of the effigy being burnt. (Express)

However, Sen also said the junior doctors in Kolkata who have been on a hunger strike for 11 days should end their fast. “There are other ways of registering protest. I feel the junior doctors should withdraw their fast now and not jeopardise their health,” he said.

Several senior doctors from various state-run hospitals in West Bengal have submitted resignations in solidarity with the junior doctors. They have also said emergency services will not be disrupted by their protest.

Sen urged the doctors to ensure that medical services in hospitals remain unaffected. “The issue is being heard by the Supreme Court. We cannot go beyond the Supreme Court. All of us are law-abiding citizens and must adhere to the orders of the apex court. Medical services should continue in hospitals because doctors save lives. They are next to God for us. How can we remain tension-free if they stop services? We stand strong in solidarity with the demand for justice for the victim. The guilty must be brought to justice with strict punishment. The movement should continue, but so should medical services.”