Kolkata: In a provocative statement that has stirred significant controversy, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee criticised the doctors protesting against the tragic RG Kar rape and murder case, claiming their hunger strike lacked genuine resolve.
On Monday, as the health of several protesting doctors deteriorated—resulting in one hospitalisation—Banerjee dismissed their actions as a “fast-unto-hospitalisation” rather than a true fast-unto-death.
“What kind of hunger strike is this?” Banerjee questioned, implying that the protests begin with fervour but quickly lead to hospital admissions. He suggested that the doctors were more interested in garnering media attention than making a serious stand. “Such tricks are being employed to gain media attention,” he asserted, referring to instances where doctors joined the fast only to be hospitalised shortly thereafter.
“Just the day before yesterday, I saw one of the doctors join the fast and get admitted to a hospital the next day. Such tricks are being employed to gain media attention,” he added.
This inflammatory rhetoric comes at a critical time when two additional doctors’ health conditions worsened during their ongoing protest. The hunger strike, which began on October 5, follows nearly 50 days of intermittent ‘cease work’ by medical professionals in response to the horrific incident involving a postgraduate trainee who was raped and murdered at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.
In an attempt to resolve the escalating situation, a meeting took place involving representatives from 12 doctors’ associations and state officials, including Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty. However, the discussions failed to yield a resolution, as the state government refused to provide a timeline for implementing the doctors’ demands aimed at enhancing their safety and security.
Pant acknowledged that while seven out of ten demands had been addressed, the remaining requests required administrative consideration, thus lacking specific deadlines. He urged the junior doctors to end their hunger strike for the sake of their health and well-being.
The absence of Health Secretary NS Nigam from the meeting raised eyebrows among the protesting doctors, who have demanded his removal and an inquiry into his conduct regarding the case.
