A court injunction to continue protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata is being disregarded by junior doctors in the city.
India was rocked by widespread indignation following the 31-year-old woman’s death, found on August 9.
A federal agency is currently looking into the crime that resulted in the arrest of a volunteer from a hospital.
Doctors in Kolkata said they will not back down until their demands are met, despite the fact that protests have subsided in other regions of India.
Five main demands have been made by the protestors, who have set up camp outside the state’s health department headquarters: among them are increased protection for health workers, senior police officers to be removed, and justice for the victim.
Tuesday night was the last day the Supreme Court had given them to go back to work. A case pertaining to the topic is presently being heard by the court.
The West Bengal state administration, whose capital is Kolkata, is now at a disadvantage due to the protests. The police and municipal government have been criticized by the courts for treating the matter improperly, an accusation they have refuted.
According to the state government, 23 people have passed away as a result of not receiving medical care during the strike. Social media videos and local television reports also include people complaining that their care has suffered as a result of the doctors’ absence.
However, the doctors demonstrating claim to have made sure emergency services are unaffected.
Senior medical professionals are putting in all the effort they can,” said Dr Amrita Bhattacharya of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front.
“We are using telemedicine to deliver medical care from the protest locations. We’re not even saying that they can take the place of a hospital’s amenities; our job is to care for patients.”
The doctors wanted to meet with the state’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, live on television, but the authorities turned down their request on Wednesday.
While protests are taking place all over the state, organizers claim that Kolkata is seeing the most of them.
A few of the protests have also turned into wild political demonstrations when demonstrators and police have fought.
When the physicians in Kolkata shout slogans, sing, and dance, other healthcare professionals and non-medical individuals frequently join them.
Behind them, there are several banners and posters seeking justice for the victim. Indian law prohibits naming victims of sex crimes, so many protesters and news reports call her Abhaya, which means fearless.
(BBC)
