Meeting called at 5 pm at Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence
The junior doctors protesting the RG Kar rape and murder case agreed to the fifth and last meeting invitation from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence. The doctors have been asked to attend a meeting at 5 pm.
The doctors protesting insist on live-streaming or recording the meeting, and are open to negotiations if both sides can record the minutes. The state government, who has previously denied the request for live-streaming, has now agreed to provide the doctors with meeting minutes.
Mamata Banerjee extended her fifth invitation to the junior doctors on strike following a failed meeting two days prior due to a dispute over live-streaming.
“This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind,” Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant’s letter to the doctors read.
The government has extended an invitation to the identical group of doctors that had a meeting with the Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence on September 14. They have been requested to be present by 4.45 pm.
Also read: Protesting doctors welcome Mamata’s unexpected visit; seek meeting date
During their ongoing protests, a group of doctors met briefly with Mamata Banerjee at her home on September 14 to demand justice for the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital. After making an unexpected visit to the protest site near Swasthya Bhavan on that day, she promised the doctors that their demands would be taken care of.
The main cause of the month-long deadlock between the two parties is the live broadcasting of the meeting. Despite the doctors’ push for live-streaming or videography of the meeting, the state government has declined, citing the pending legal case and offering to document and distribute the meeting minutes instead.
