Hunger strike by West Bengal junior doctors enters fourth day

With Tuesday coinciding with Maha Panchami, the doctors decided to mark the day with a variety of protest programmes throughout the day

Kolkata: The fast-unto-death protest of seven junior doctors at Esplanade in Kolkata, over the rape and murder of their colleague in the state-run RG Kar Medical College Hospital entered the fourth day on Tuesday.

With Tuesday coinciding with Maha Panchami, the doctors — both seniors and juniors — have decided to mark the day with a variety of protest programmes throughout the day.

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While the seven junior doctors are continuing with their fast-unto-death protests at Esplanade in central Kolkata, the junior doctors throughout the State have started a token hunger strike for 12 hours from 9 am on Tuesday.

What is more significant is that the senior doctors and representatives from the nursing and health workers’ fraternity too have decided to join the junior doctors in this token protest. Apart from these protests, there will be a mega rally in the afternoon from 4.30 p.m., which will begin at College Square and lead up to the fast-unto-death dais at Esplanade.

The rally will be represented by all sections of the medical fraternity. An appeal has been issued by the junior doctors to common people to observe the token 12-hour hunger strike as well as to join them in the mega rally as an expression of solidarity.

“We had been able to carry forward our protests to this extent just because of the mass support from all sections of the society. So we are requesting the people, our biggest source of inspiration, to join us in this protest on Tuesday,” said a representative of West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), the umbrella body spearheading the movement of the junior doctors on this issue.

Starting from Saturday evening, the junior doctors have started a unique protest, where some of them have started the fast-unto-death agitation, while the others have gone back to their medical services duty withdrawing their cease-work. Initially, six junior doctors, three female and three male, started the hunger strike protests. On Sunday evening, their seventh colleague joined them.