The West Bengal government appointed Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP), replacing him with controversial official Vineet Goyal on Tuesday. The development comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that Goyal will be removed from his post, accepting one of the demands of protesting doctors.
Goyal was given charge of ADG & IGP, STF, West Bengal, while, current DME Dr Kaustav Nayak transferred to the post of Director, Institute of Health and Family Welfare. Appointment of new DME to be made subsequently, a notification read.
Earlier in a dramatic turn of events late last night, Banerjee announced her decision to transfer a section of Kolkata Police, including Kolkata CP Goayal and the state health department top brass, including CP, from their respective positions, accepting the bulk of the five-point charter of demand placed by the agitating junior doctors.
Vineet Goyal likely to meet CM Mamata
Ex-Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP) Goyal is likely to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today, said the sources.
Banerjee also announced the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME) and the Director of Health Services (DHS) besides the Deputy Commissioner (North Division) who allegedly offered money to the parents of the RG Kar victim.
“We will announce the name of the new police commissioner after 4 pm on Tuesday after the scheduled hearing in Supreme Court gets over,” the chief minister said at the stroke of midnight after concluding her meeting with the agitating junior doctors at her Kalighat residence, barely hours ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar hospital matter.
The decisions were formalised in the minutes of the meeting which was signed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and countersigned by the delegation of 42 doctors who participated in the talks to end the RG Kar hospital deadlock. The agitating doctors are on ‘cease work’ across the state for 38 days since the gruesome alleged rape and murder of the postgraduate intern at RG Kar hospital came to light on August 9, crippling state-run healthcare delivery.
“We have accepted almost all demands of the doctors. Keeping in mind the plight of the common people, we did the best we could. I now appeal to the doctors to return to work,” Banerjee said, confirming no disciplinary action would be taken against the agitating doctors. Deeming the decisions as “the state bowing its head before the pressure of a movement and a “victory of the masses”, the doctors, however, said they would continue their protests till “the words get converted into concrete action”.
“We will decide on what our next step would be after the hearing at the Apex court and after we confirm the government issuing those transfer orders it has promised,” announced Dr Debasish Halder, one of the leaders, from the sit-in before Swasthya Bhawan which is continuing for a week amid inclement weather.
“While the CM has accepted our demand to remove the CP, DC (North), the DHS and DME, she is yet to agree on removing the principal secretary of the health department or the DC (Central). The discussions on the operating threat syndicate in hospitals and the thriving corruption racket remain incomplete. We only have verbal assurances on those matters so far. So our fight is far from over,” added Dr Aniket Mahato, another leader.
(Report by Onkar Sarkar)
