File picture of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with officials waiting at her residence for protesting junior doctors to initiate talks, in Kolkata on September 14, 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI
The West Bengal government on Monday again invited agitating junior doctors to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata at 5 p.m. today (September 16, 2024) to hold a meeting to resolve the R.G. Kar rape case impasse.
In a mail, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said representatives of the junior doctors have been invited to the meeting.
The protesting resident doctors had visited the residence of Ms. Banerjee on Saturday (September 14, 2024) for a meeting, but could not hold any discussion as the impasse over live streaming or video recording of the proceedings continued. The State government said recording or streaming cannot be allowed inside the Chief Minister’s residence because of security concerns.
After the last meeting was cancelled, the doctors said they had accepted all the ‘conditions’ laid out for the discussions but the authorities turned them down as it had gotten too late.
‘Final time’
In his letter to the doctors today, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant said that it was the “fifth and final time” the government was reaching out for a meeting.
“This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind,” he wrote.
“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 subjudice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties,” he added.
He invited the same delegation that arrived on Saturday to reach the Chief Minister’s home at 4.45 p.m.
The agitating junior doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the health department, for the eight day and cease work for the 36th day.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – September 16, 2024 12:51 pm IST
