'Cops stood as mute spectators': Protesting doctors write to President over RG Kar impasse

NEW DELHI: Protesting junior doctors on Friday wrote a letter to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking her intervention to resolve the impasse surrounding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The letter, written by the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, detailed the attack by an unapprehended mob on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, resulting in the vandalization and ransacking of the hospital campus.
The letter, also sent to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Union health minister JP Nadda, highlighted the collective sentiment of the people of West Bengal, who sought justice for the deceased through "Reclaim the night" candle-lit marches across the state on August 15. It was during these early hours that the mob allegedly barged into the hospital premises, vandalizing the Emergency department and threatening to destroy evidence.
Read more: 'Ready to resign': Mamata Banerjee as deadlock with doctors over RG Kar case continues
"The gruesome nature of the crime, the alleged attempts to cover it up, and the attendant atmosphere of fear woke the nation up to demand an impartial investigative process and a speedy, fair and rational trial. In pursuance of the collective sentiment, the people of West Bengal had sought to show solidarity to the deceased and their thirst for justice through "Reclaim the night" candle-lit street marches across the cities, towns and even villages during the early hours of August 15," the letter read.
"It was under such odd hours that an unapprehended mob barged unabated into the premises of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, and ransacked the hospital campus, vandalised the Emergency department, tore through the make-shift protest site, and attempted to further destroy the sanctity of the alleged place of occurrence, threatening to do away with whatever evidence was left," it added.
The protesting doctors accused the state police of standing as "mute spectators" while the doctors were attacked by the hooligans.
"In this turbid atmosphere of fear, distrust and hopelessness, the junior doctors in West Bengal have been forced to avoid working within the hospital premises and Instead, have taken alternative modes to discharge our duty of providing health care services to the citizens. The WBJDF has been organising medical camps under the Abhaya Clinics initiative, on public grounds, at several places across the state, to continue to provide free access for all to receive health-care services," it added.
This comes a day after, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee offered to resign as the standoff with protesting junior doctors over the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case continued.
Banerjee, who waited for nearly two hours for the agitating doctors to come for the meeting, said she also wanted the victim to get justice and apologised to the people of West Bengal for the continued deadlock.
The trigger for the delegation backing out of the meeting at the last minute was apparently the state government’s refusal to live-stream the proceedings.
Mamata explained why the government did not accede to it. “The matter is sub judice, certain protocols must be followed. But we were ready to video-record the meet. Three cameras were set up. We could’ve handed over the recording to them after taking Supreme Court’s permission. We could’ve provided it to the court,” she said, hastening to clarify that the door would remain ajar for talks with the junior doctors.