The junior doctors, protesting over the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital, on Saturday evening went on fast unto death, claiming that their demands were not fulfilled by the West Bengal government.
The doctors had on Friday begun a sit-in at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala, setting a 24-hour deadline for the state government to fulfil their demands as promised.
"The state government has failed the deadline and hence we are starting the fast unto death till our demands are fulfilled. To maintain transparency, we have installed CCTV cameras at the dais where our colleagues will be holding the fast," a junior doctor said.
"We will join duty as promised but will not eat anything," he said.
At present, six junior doctors would initiate the fast, he added.
Despite calling off their 'total cease work', agitating junior doctors in West Bengal continued their sit-in on Saturday in central Kolkata, alleging that the police baton-charged a few of them during a rally to press for justice for the deceased woman medic of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Braving the rain, they held the demonstration throughout the night in the Esplanade area.
Some were seen standing there with umbrellas in one hand, while others managed to get shelter under a temporary plastic shade at the Dorina crossing in the area, protesting the alleged baton charge by the police on Friday during their rally from the SSKM hospital in the southern part of the city to Esplanade.
The junior doctors called off their 'total cease work' at state-run medical colleges and hospitals around 8.30 pm on Friday but threatened to launch a hunger strike till death if their demands were not met by the West Bengal government within 24 hours.
They also placed a huge clock at their demonstration site to keep a count of the time.
"When you are fighting for a significant cause, you cannot expect things to be easy. We anticipated better treatment from the state government. The baton charge and the verbal abuse from the police were both unnecessary, and we demand an apology," Debasish Halder, a representative of the protesting junior medics, told PTI.
"We will not vacate this place until that is provided," he added.
Medics from RG Kar medical college, alongside their peers from various hospitals, joined the protest.
"It's time for the state government to respond and show that they are genuinely eager to resolve this issue. The clock is ticking for them," added Aniket Mahato, another junior medic.
The ongoing demonstration caused significant traffic disruptions, with a police presence surrounding the protest site at the Dorina Crossing.
The protesters emphasised that securing justice for the deceased woman medic remains their foremost priority.
Among their nine demands, they are calling for the immediate removal of state Health Secretary N S Nigam, as well as accountability for the alleged administrative incompetence and corruption within the health department.
Other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, the implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces.
