The first round of talks between the West Bengal government and the agitating junior doctors, held at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, concluded late Monday evening without any immediate resolution. The discussions were convened to address the impasse surrounding the RG Kar Hospital incident, which has led to a 36-day 'cease work' by the junior doctors, seeking justice for a doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at the hospital.
A delegation of around 30 junior doctors arrived at Banerjee's residence at 6.20 pm, escorted by a police pilot vehicle. The meeting, initially scheduled for 5 pm, began two hours later, at 7 pm. As of now, no definitive conclusion has been reached, with minutes of the meeting still being compiled.
This meeting follows four previous unsuccessful attempts to initiate a dialogue. The deadlock in earlier rounds was primarily due to the state government's rejection of the doctors' demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the discussions. However, the agitating doctors later compromised, agreeing to only record the minutes of the meeting and requesting a signed copy. This condition was accepted by the state government, with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant stating that both parties would sign the minutes and share copies for transparency. Additionally, the state government allowed two stenographers, accompanying the doctors, inside the meeting to record the minutes.
Union Minister of State and West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar weighed in on the situation, saying, "If a resolution is found then it's good, but the BJP will not stop the movement because our demand that she (Mamata Banerjee) doesn't have the right to remain the CM and she should resign."
West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary told news agency PTI, "Mamata Banerjee was firm that she would not meet the protesters but situations compelled her to meet the protesters. People of Bengal want this issue to be resolved at the earliest. Being the CM, it is her responsibility to resolve this issue to prove that the West Bengal government cares for the issues of the people."
Prior to the meeting, CM Mamata Banerjee made a public appeal to the junior doctors, urging them to resolve the issue through dialogue. Speaking to News 18 Bangla, she said, "I would appeal to the junior doctors to come and sit for the talks. Every issue can be resolved through discussions. And we must strive to find a solution. There is a hearing on this case at the Supreme Court tomorrow (Tuesday), we are hopeful of finding a solution."
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One of the protesting doctors, before leaving for the talks, remarked, "We also want the issue to be resolved but not at the cost of any form of compromise on our five demands. We are going to the meeting to discuss all the issues with an open mind."
While discussions took place at CM Mamata's residence, the sit-in protest by junior doctors continued outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the Health Department, marking its eighth consecutive day. The doctors have been demanding justice for their colleague, along with the removal of the Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior health officials. Their ‘cease work’ protest also entered its 36th day.
Earlier in the day, the state government extended a final invitation for talks, marking its fifth attempt to resolve the ongoing crisis. Two days prior, a similar dialogue failed due to disagreements over the live-streaming of the meeting. On Saturday, Mamata made a surprise visit to the protest site, assuring the doctors that their demands would be addressed, but the meeting failed to materialise after the protesters claimed they were asked to leave abruptly after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CM’s residence.