Kolkata: Junior Doctors Push For ‘Transparency’ As Mamata Govt Sends ‘Final’ Invite For Talks, List Key Demands

West Bengal junior doctors have requested transparency measures, including videography of meeting, in response to the Mamata Banerjee government's 'final' invitation for talks.

In a fresh development surrounding the ongoing protest by junior doctors in Kolkata, the West Bengal Junior Doctor’s Front (WBJDF) has responded to the government’s latest invitation for talks with a request for transparency measures, including the videography of the meeting. This comes after Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant extended an invitation on behalf of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the agitating doctors to meet at her Kalighat residence.

In an email, junior doctors expressed their willingness to engage in discussions "in the wake of public interest," but emphasised the need for a transparent and official setting. “It would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting could have been an official and administrative place as this matter is related to governance,” the response noted.

The junior doctors highlighted two key developments following a previous meeting, which include the arrest of Sandip Ghosh and the Officer-in-Charge of Tala Police Station in connection with the RG Kar case. These arrests, according to the doctors, "increase the significance of transparency of the meeting even more than before".

The junior doctors requested that both parties record the meeting through separate videographers. In case this is not feasible, they proposed that the entire video file be handed over to their representatives after the meeting. Alternatively, they called for a fully transcribed and signed set of minutes to be provided by both sides.

"WBJDF will bring their own minutes and transcript takers for the meeting," they asserted, reiterating their commitment to ensuring clarity and accountability.

Bengal Government Extends Fifth And 'Final' Invite To Trainee Doctors, Refuses Videography And Live-Streaming

This comes after the West Bengal government, for the fifth and final time, invited the junior doctors for talks to resolve the ongoing impasse at the RG Kar Medical College. Chief Secretary Pant’s letter, sent on Monday, outlined the government's position. He reminded the doctors of the Supreme Court’s directive to resume duties by 5 PM on 10th September 2024. “This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting,” he wrote, inviting the same delegation that attended previous discussions to arrive at Banerjee’s residence at 4:45 PM.

Pant expressed optimism that “good sense will prevail” and reiterated the government's stance against live-streaming or videography of the meeting due to the matter being sub judice. Instead, he proposed that the minutes of the meeting be recorded and signed by both parties.

The junior doctors, however, remain firm in their demand for video recording or transcript writers, citing transparency as a key concern. They have yet to announce their final decision on whether they will attend the meeting.

"We want clarity and we want to hold transparent talks. We will take any further decisions after meeting the CM," a junior doctor told news agency PTI.

Another protesting doctor said, "We have mentioned that two transcript writers will go with us. We believe that we have negotiated to the last extent and we will not negotiate any further."

The protest stems from the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College on 9th August, which has since led to ongoing demonstrations. Mamata Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site on Saturday, urging the doctors to come forward for talks. However, the discussions were stalled when the protesters refused to enter her residence after the government rejected their demand for live telecasting the talks.