KOLKATA, Sept 12: Protesting junior doctors welcomed the state government's third invite for talks and confirmed their participation.
While the chief secretary confirmed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's presence for the proposed meeting, the government denied the doctors demand for a live telecast. The letter mentioned that the government agrees for the meeting to be recorded.
Defying a Supreme Court order and pleas from the state government to resume work, junior doctors continue to hold sit-in protests outside the health ministry headquarters Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata.
Minister of state for health, Chandrima Bhattacharya said the government remained open to discussion but suggested that "political forces" might be influencing the protests. Agitating doctors dismissed her claims as "baseless" and asserted that the protests would continue until their demands are met.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is carrying out a search operation in connection with financial irregularities at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital at several places in Kolkata and its suburban areas.
The ED is also conducting searches at the residence of former principal of the medical college Dr. Sandip Ghosh's father Satya Prakash Ghosh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned prime suspect Sanjay Roy again, along with four junior doctors and two police officials on Wednesday.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, is the prime suspect in the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata. The CBI has reportedly ruled out the possibility of gang-rape in the August 9 incident.
Marking 34 days since the incident, protests have continued nationwide due to the outrage sparked by the horrific case. Ganesh pandals have also featured protest imagery and slogans posted in solidarity. Actor Mithun Chakraborty led a protest in Kolkata on Wednesday along with BJP members as well.
The Mamata Banerjee-led government has faced flak for its handling of the case, with accusations of tampering with evidence, bribery and more from the opposition and the victim's parents. Protestors have demanded that the chief minister step down along with police chief Vineet Goyal.
The Supreme Court is set to hear the matter on September 17, with the CBI filing a fresh report on the investigation into the case. —HT
