New Delhi: The fight for justice for a young doctor, brutally raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, has taken a new turn, as junior doctors refuse to back down from their month-long protest. Ignoring the Supreme Court’s deadline to resume work by Tuesday evening, the doctors declared their resolve to continue their “people’s movement” until justice is served to the victim’s family.
Accusing the government of providing misleading information to the court and alleging a lack of progress in the investigation, the doctors expressed deep disappointment with the proceedings. “The case has been transferred, the investigation shifted, but justice remains out of reach,” they declared. The doctors refuted the government’s claim that the healthcare system has collapsed, emphasising their commitment to patient care while demanding accountability for the horrific crime.
The Supreme Court, acknowledging the disruption caused by the strike, had urged the doctors to return to work, emphasising the need for both parties to “reciprocate” in the pursuit of justice. The court’s directive, however, fell on deaf ears, as the doctors remain steadfast in their demand for a swift and transparent investigation.
The doctors’ decision to defy the court after the Bengal unit of the Indian Medical Association asserted that they will continue to support the decision of the junior doctors.
“We were expecting a positive outcome keeping in mind the brutality of the offense. However, we are totally disheartened by the proceedings of the court and CBI. No step was taken for a speedy trial to deliver justice to our colleague… It was also very much shocking to note the way the junior doctors were portrayed as responsible for few deaths in the hospitals is totally false and in no hospital, the service is completely hampered due to the movement of the junior doctors,” the statement read.
The confrontation between the doctors and the court, coupled with the continued delays in the investigation as their protest to “cease work” is going to enter one month.
The Supreme Court during the hearing of the RG Kar case on Monday stated that the doctors should resume work as the people in the state are suffering due to doctor’s absence in the hospitals.
Asking protesting doctors to resume their operations, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the court will ensure that all the facilities are given to the doctors. CJI that disciplinary action would be taken if the doctors failed to join their services back even after getting all the facilities from the government. He added that the court cannot stop the government from taking disciplinary action after the doctors don’t adhere to court orders.
