KOLKATA: Accompanied by a few senior officers, a team of 22 agitating junior doctors on Tuesday reached the Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar where Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal, of whose resignation they were demanding, is likely to meet them.
Almost 24 hours after junior doctors started their march to Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar demanding Vineet Goyal's resignation, the force conceded to their demands and removed barricades erected on B B Ganguly street before allowing the medics to march to Bentinck Street which is closer to Lalbazar.
Representatives of junior doctors accompanied by senior officers of the Kolkata Police reached Lalbazar where they are likely to meet Goyal.
"It will be a peaceful rally and we will march together till Bentinck Street. Our representatives will meet the CP," one of the agitating doctors told PTI.
Junior doctors of different medical colleges who took out a rally to Lalbazar demanding the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal, stayed put at nearby B B Ganguly Street on Monday, more than 23 hours after they were stopped from marching further.
The doctors, who were joined by several common people as well as students from other educational institutions, spent the entire Monday night on BB Ganguly street, around half a kilometre away from Lalbazar, to stop them from marching ahead.
A huge contingent of Kolkata Police officers remained on guard on the other side of the barricade built with guardrails chained together and locked with padlocks.
The junior doctors had placed the replica of a spine and red roses on the barricade.
The replica is to emphasise the duty of the police force to protect citizens, they claimed.
"This was not in our plan. We did not know that Kolkata Police were so scared that they would put up a 9-foot high barricade to stop us. Our agitation will continue till we are allowed to reach Lalbazar and meet the CP," one of the agitating doctors told PTI earlier.
They shouted slogans seeking justice and protection for all, including doctors.
Later, Additional Police Commissioner (IlI) of Kolkata Police Santosh Pandey along with other officers of the force had reached the spot and held talks with the doctors to pacify them.
The doctors started their march towards Lalbazar at around 2 pm on Monday holding placards which displayed illustrations of Goyal with texts calling for his resignation.
They also burnt an effigy of the police commissioner after they were stopped on BB Ganguly Street.
The medics have alleged inadequate steps by the police during its probe into the August 9 rape-murder of the young doctor, before the investigation was handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.