NEW DELHI: The national capital witnessed a unified show of strength by doctors on Monday, as they rallied to demand justice for their colleague who was murdered in Kolkata.
Senior doctors and a delegation from the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) held a joint press conference with the Delhi Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs), seeking national support for their ‘Justice for Abhaya’ movement amid the ongoing standoff with the West Bengal government.
At the press conference held at the Press Club of India, the doctors expressed serious concerns over the handling of the investigation, accusing the Kolkata Police of evidence tampering and demanding a thorough, impartial probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Dr. Subarna Goswami, a prominent member of the Joint Forum of Doctors, called for accountability, stating, “We want the Kolkata Police Commissioner to be removed and a probe to find out under whose direction he was acting.”
Dr. Goswami further criticised what he described as a “health syndicate” within the state administration. He alleged that this network, involving high-ranking officials and medical institution heads, was obstructing the investigation and manipulating evidence.
“This syndicate, which perpetuates corruption across health institutions, is responsible for rampant corruption in every health institution and must be dismantled to ensure the safety of junior doctors when they return to work,” he asserted.
The junior doctors’ delegation reiterated their key demands, including enhanced workplace safety, implementation of gender audits, establishment of Internal Complaint Committees in all institutions, and an end to the pervasive threat culture in medical institutions. They called for national solidarity, urging citizens across the country to support their cause. “We implore everyone to resonate with our five-point demands for justice for Abhaya. Together, we hope to unite in the face of injustice, cowardice, and malice, and reclaim the basic tenets of liberty, autonomy, and justice,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi RDAs, extending full solidarity to their colleagues in West Bengal, warned that any coercive action by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government against the doctors there would lead to an escalation of the protest. “While we have temporarily suspended our strike as per the Supreme Court’s directive, any coercive measures against our fellow doctors in Bengal will force us to resume our nationwide strike,” cautioned Dr. Indra Shekhar, President of the AIIMS RDA.