Day after saying she does not want to lodge FIRs against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday clarified that she did not threaten junior medics at state-run hospitals, who have been continuing ceasework for 21 days now to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College on August 9.
Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, Banerjee had on Wednesday urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal to urgently consider returning to duty and said she doesn't want to lodge FIRs against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that some people accused her of threatening the agitating junior doctors, which is "completely false".
"Let me most emphatically clarify that I have not uttered a single word against the (medical etc.) students or their movements. I totally support their movement. Their movement is genuine. I never threatened them, as some people are accusing me of doing. This allegation is completely false," Mamata Banerjee said on in a post on microblogging platform X.
Mamata Banerjee said she "detects a malicious disinformation campaign in some print, electronic and digital media which has been unleashed with reference to a speech that I made in our students' programme yesterday."
Asserting that her government has zero tolerance for incidents of rape, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said an amendment to existing laws will be passed in the state Assembly next week to ensure capital punishment to convicted rapists.
Speaking at the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad's foundation day rally in Kolkata, Mamara Banerjee said she would sit for dharna outside Raj Bhavan here if the governor delays in giving assent to the amended Bill or forwards it to the President for ratification.
In this address, Banerjee urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal, who are on cease-work for 20 days now to protest the alleged rape-murder of the RG Kar hospital medic, to urgently consider returning to duty and said she doesn't want to lodge FIRs against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers.
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"I have remained sympathetic towards the cause of the doctors from the very beginning since they were seeking justice for their colleague. We did not take any action against them although so many days have passed since the incident. We understand your pain. But I urge them to return to work now since poor patients are suffering and they have nowhere to go," Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.
Agitating doctors found chief minister's remark to be a "veiled threat" and rejected her appeal to join work.
A member of the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Forum cited in a news agency PTI report said they would not withdraw the agitation unless their demands for justice for the deceased and punishment for all responsible were met.
