Even as striking junior doctors in West Bengal on Thursday defied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 2 pm-deadline to join work and continued their protests, the major worry for the Trinamool Congress chief came from within the party and even her own family.
On a day Banerjee refused to succumb under pressure created by the agitating junior doctors on strike across all government-run hospitals in the state, a video has surfaced showing Chief Minister's nephew, Dr Abesh leading a protest rally showing solidarity the agitating doctors of the Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital (NRS).
Abesh, who is the son of Mamata’s brother Kartick Banerjee, is a doctor with KPC Medical College and Hospital. Sources say Abesh led a protest rally on Wednesday from KPC hospital to the NRS hospital.
This video came even as the mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim’s daughter took to Facebook to register her protest against the government and police inaction.
She took to Facebook and wrote, “For those who do not know doctors in government and most private hospitals are boycotting OPD but are still working in emergency. For those saying, ‘Ono rugider ki dosh’ meaning what is the fault of patients, please question the government as in why the police officers posted in government hospitals do little to nothing to protect doctors.”
Adding, “Please question why goons are still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors? We have a right to peaceful protest. We have a right to safety at work.”
The doctors in West Bengal have been agitating since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS medical college and hospital in Kolkata.
Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM hospital around noon warned the doctors of action if they do not resume work. They, however, defied the deadline and said the agitation will continue till their demands related to their security in government hospitals are met.
A team of doctors met Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi at Raj Bhavan over the issue and said the chief minister's reaction to their protest was unexpected. "We will continue with our agitation till our demands are fulfilled. We have spoken to the Governor. He listened to us and hopefully will speak to the chief minister," one of the junior doctors told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan after meeting Tripathi.
Doctors across the state have called for a strike in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died on Monday night.
Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving the patients in the lurch.
(With PTI inputs)
