Junior Doctors in Bengal Defy Deadline, Pledge to Continue Protest

Junior doctors protesting against the rape and murder of a fellow doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, were unnerved by the Supreme Court deadline to resume duties by 5 p.m. on Tuesday announced plans to continue their agitation from Tuesday morning.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday ordered the protesting doctors in West Bengal to go back to work by 5 pm Tuesday. Failure to do so, it warned, would empower the state government to take all measures- including disciplinary action- to deal with the crisis arising out of the strike by the medical fraternity in West Bengal.

The bench, which also comprised Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, gave them an assurance that no action would be taken against them if they reported to duty by the specified time.
Fresh Demands After Court Order
Following the court order, protesting doctors have now put fresh demands in suspension of Health Secretary, Director of Health Services, and the Director of Medical Education.

The junior doctors are supposed to march up to Swastha Bhavan, the headquarters of the health department in Salt Lake, pressing for their demands on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, echoing the Supreme Court's observations, had appealed to the junior doctors to return to work.

Defying the deadline given by the Supreme Court and the appeal by the Chief Minister, the junior doctors have announced that they would continue their protest.

Doctors have also pointed to their strike as underlining the critical situation in the health service, mentioning the shortage of sufficiently trained doctors and medical staff.

Statistics were also provided by protesting doctors to support their stand: of the 245 state-run hospitals in West Bengal, only 26 are medical colleges and hospitals. With about 7,500 junior doctors and around 93,000 registered doctors in the state, they asked how the entire health system would collapse with the 'cease work' action of just junior doctors from medical colleges and hospitals.