West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee again invited the protesting doctors for meeting at 5 pm to break the deadlock. In a letter, Bengal Chief Secretary requested the agitating doctors to meet Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence for a "discussion with an open mind". "We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before, there will be no live streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," the letter said.
The development comes at a time when the agitating junior doctors continued with their cease work, stating that they would remain steadfast in their resolve to pursue justice for the medic raped and murdered at the RG Kar hospital.
For the eight day on Monday, the doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the Health department, and contonued cease work for the 36th day and vowed to continue it till their demands - the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner and senior state health officials are met.
"We will continue our cease work till our demands are met.
The state government is not serious about resolving the crisis," an agitating junior medic said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Saturday made a surprise visit to the site where the doctors were protesting and assured them that their demands would be addressed, but the proposed meeting fell through, with the protesters claiming that they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CM's residence.
Another protesting doctor claimed they had agreed to attend the meeting without live-streaming or video recording as Banerjee requested, but after notifying Minister of State for Health, Chandrima Bhattacharya, of this decision, they were told to leave because it was too late.
A few previous attempts at talks between the junior doctors and Banerjee had also failed due to disagreements over live streaming of the meetings and the number of attending representatives.
The body of the postgraduate woman doctor was recovered in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting the probe into the rape and murder of the woman medic, following a Calcutta High Court order.
