KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, who is a medical student, on Friday came out in support of the protesting doctors at the state-run hospitals.
Abesh Banerjee, whose Facebook bio describes him as the President of KPC Medical College and Hospital, was seen at a rally holding a placard that read: "You say we are Gods!! Why Treat us like Dogs?"
"Dr Abesh Banerjee, nephew of Mamata Banerjee at KPC hospital Kolkata!!#SaveTheDoctors," another doctor tweeted sharing his picture.
Earlier, Kolkata Mayor and state Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, a doctor, criticised the government's handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos had the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work".
In a Facebook post, Shabba Hakim asked people to question why "goons were still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors". "As a TMC supporter I am deeply ashamed at the inaction and the silence of our leader," Shabba Hakim said on the social networking site close to Wednesday-Thursday midnight. Till then Banerjee had remained silent on the issue.
To those saying "Onyo rugider ki dosh? (what is the fault of the other patients?)", Shabba Hakim suggested they should question the government as to why the police officers posted in government hospitals did little to nothing to protect the doctors.
"Please question them that when 2 truckload of goons showed up and why wasn't a back-up sent immediately? Please question why goons are still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors?" Hakim asked.
"We have a right to peaceful protest. We have a right to safety at work," she added.
Four-day long stir
The protest began at the state-run NRS Hospital on Tuesday morning bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late on Monday night.
The family members of the deceased patient alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and was admitted in the intensive care unit of the Institute of Neurosciences.
With improvement in his condition, Mukherjee has been shifted to the general bed and will be released from the hospital soon.
(With inputs from online desk and agencies)