RG Kar: Kolkata Police ask junior doctors to end hunger strike

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police on Thursday sent a letter to the seven junior doctors, who were observing fast-unto-death at Esplanade to protest the rape and murder of one of their colleagues at R. G. Kar Medical & Hospital, asking them to end the strike and instead get admitted to a medical facility for treatment.

Officer-in-charge of the local Hare Street Police Station came to the dais of the hunger strike and served the letter to the protesting junior doctors asking the latter to vacate the demonstration dais.

The police move comes after a senior doctor, examining the junior doctors on hunger strike, informed media persons that the medical condition of one of them, Aniket Mahato, has deteriorated drastically and he needs to be hospitalised.

However, the protesting junior doctors claimed that in the letter, the police stressed on raising a demonstration dais without seeking permission from the administration.

"In the letter, the police stressed that we have been organising a protest demonstration at Esplanade since October 5 by raising the dais without administrative permission. So, according to the police, we will have to vacate the place. This means that the administration was not concerned about us. We are not taking this lightly," said a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum (WBJDF), the umbrella body under which the junior doctors are continuing their protest demonstrations on the rape and murder of their colleague.

Meanwhile, sources said, the city police had also pointed out that on Wednesday, they requested the seven junior doctors to vacate the place and use police ambulances, which the latter refused.

In the letter, the city police also claimed to have requested the State Health Department to organise a team of medical officers for the doctors observing the hunger strike. The city police have requested the protesting junior doctors to take medical assistance after vacating the place.