Doctors protesting in Kolkata end hunger strike after meeting Mamata Banerjee

Protesting junior doctors ended their hunger strike after they held a two-hour-long meeting with Mamata Banerjee, which was streamed live from the state secretariat, Nabanna.

In Short

• Doctors ended hunger strike after assurance from Mamata Banerjee
• Meeting between protesters and Chief Minister lasted for 2 hours
• Banerjee refused doctors' demand to remove Health Secretary

Junior doctors, who have been sitting on a hunger-strike for the last 16 days to protest against the rape and murder of their colleague at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital and College, ended their fast on Monday following a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The doctors, who had been demanding better working conditions and infrastructure improvements in the healthcare sector, also announced the withdrawal of the general medical strike they had earlier called.

However, the doctors have stated that their protest will continue through other means, despite ending the hunger strike.

This came after the protesters and Mamata Banerjee held a two-hour-long meeting which was streamed live from the state secretariat, Nabanna.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister urged the junior doctors to end their fast, stating that most of their demands had been addressed, but rejected their request for the removal of the state Health Secretary.

"At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, several junior doctors and medical students were suspended without following proper procedures and rules. How can these students or resident doctors be suspended just on the basis of complaints? Who gave the college authorities the right to take such a step without informing the state government? Isn’t this a threat culture?" Mamata Banerjee said.

Referring to the demand for the removal of Health Secretary Nigam, Mamata Banerjee said, "You cannot call a person accused without any concrete proof. First, you have to provide evidence; then you can call a person accused,” she said, to which an agitating doctor responded, “A person can be called accused as per law until he or she is proven guilty".

Furthermore, the Chief Minister assured the junior doctors to consider their demands and urged them to persuade their colleagues to end the fast and resume duties.

Junior doctors initiated a 'cease-work' protest on August 9 in response to the alleged rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Hospital in August this year. The protest transitioned into a hunger strike on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease-work' conducted in two phases.