West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front demands removal of top officials, expedite justice for RG Kar rape-murder victim

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front and Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) held a press conference in the national capital on Monday and laid down their demands, including the removal of the Kolkata Commissioner of Police as well as the replacement of all the senior officials in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Mamata Government.

Amid the ongoing protest against the rape and murder of the second-year postgraduate trainee doctor inside a seminar room of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College on August 9, the front noted down five-point demands, which include the call for justice for the victim “Abhaya” and to expedite the investigation process in the case.

They also demanded the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME), the Director of Health Services (DHS), and the Health Secretary from the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the West Bengal Government.

“Removal of the DME, DHS, and Health Secretary as their signatures are present in the order for construction work in the immediate auspices of the crime scene, when it should have been completely cordoned off. We also think that they are responsible for the enormous corruption in the healthcare system for which Sandip Ghosh was also arrested. Recently, CBI has arrested him in relation to the rape and murder case of Abhaya, thus reaffirming his active involvement in the heinous crime,” they stated in their demands.

“Since the very day of the incident, we, the protesting junior doctors of West Bengal have witnessed an extreme administrative failure on part of the hospital authorities and the Kolkata police at large. The greater shame lay in the fact that an active process was initiated from the very beginning to tamper all evidences and protect the real culprits,” the front said in a statement.

The front called for “action against incompetent and complacent police authorities” and demanded the removal of Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Police of North and Central for administrative failure and alleged evidence tampering.

“Removal of Vineet Goyal, Commissioner of Kolkata Police for his administrative failure and evidence tampering, disciplinary action against DC North for his incompetence and offering money to the victim’s parents and DC Central for trying to hide the identity of a suspected person present inside the crime scene. OC of Tala Police Station has been recently arrested by CBI in connection to the Abhaya rape and murder case, eroding our trust in the entire law enforcement agency of our state,” the junior doctors said..

They also demanded “proper security and basic functional amenities in all hospitals and government healthcare centres” to ensure proper safety and protection of junior doctors and all healthcare workers.

They also called for the formation of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) for the proper management of cases under POSH 2013 in every hospital and health centre.

In other demands, they called for legal status for all Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) bodies in every medical college, to conduct student union elections and dissolution of non-elected student units.

“We want the concerned authorities, the CBI, and the Supreme Court to expedite the investigation process and punish the culprits without any delay,” they added.

Speaking on the matter, the Additional General Secretary of the All India Federation of Government Doctors Association (AIFGDA), Dr Subarna Goswami, said that they definitely want to hold a meeting with doctors and the West Bengal Chief Minister but in a transparent ambience.

He further said that the government’s response should be documented, either in video or through live telecast.

“We want there to be a meeting definitely (of the doctors and the chief minister)… The meeting should be held in a transparent ambience. The junior doctors should be taken into confidence so that they can voice their demands properly and the government’s response must be documented either in videography or live streaming,” he said.

“Why is the government afraid of facing junior doctors on live streaming? Our main demand is timely justice in the case. We want action against not only the rapist and the killers but also against those who tried to tamper with the evidence and misguided the investigation process and the whole syndicate of few doctors,” Goswami added.