CP & Three more removed after ‘Evening to Midnight’ meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Jr Doctors; Jr Doctors yet to decide on cease work

In a late night development which eventually breached the midnight, after more than five hours of deliberations, first between the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the protesting junior doctors, Bengal Government on Tuesday announced its decision to remove the Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal along with two senior health officials and one more IPS officer- names that were part of the demand list of the Junior Doctors who have been on a cease work for over a month since the RG Kar incident of rape and murder of the 31 year old PGT doctor.

“We have kept almost all their demands. We have decided to change the Kolkata Police Commissioner. Vinnet Goyal during his meeting with the Junior Doctors at Lal Bazaar had expressed his desire to relinquish the post since the doctors have formed distrust towards him. We have spoken to him and he also said that he has a family and such discourse around him is affecting him. So we will let him go to some other department. After the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, by evening the notification will be issued announcing the name of the new CP. Your cooperation is solicited”, said Mamata Banerjee in a press conference that started at midnight after junior doctors left her residence.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the protesting doctors to end their cease work and return to their respective duties. The Junior Doctors arrived at the Kalighat residence of Banerjee after at least four exchanges of emails on Monday. After two failed talks on Thursday and Saturday, the Chief Secretary had reached out to the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front Monday afternoon as a “fifth and final” attempt to invite them for talks. While the Junior Doctors had initially insisted for live streaming or videography of meeting- demands that had practically washed away the scope for meeting in the last two occasions, had shown climbing down from their position as they eventually agreed for minutes of the meeting instead of video recording but documented by their people. 40 doctors and two stenographers entered the chief minister’s residence at around 6.30 pm for the meeting that was chaired by the CM but also attended by the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, the Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, MoS health Chandrima Bhattacharya amongst others on behalf of the government.

Key Outcome of the meeting -

1: Vineet Goyal, CP Kolkata to be transferred

2: Abhishek Gupta, DCP North to be transferred

3: Debasis Halder, Director of Health Services removed

4: Kaustav Nayek, Director of Medical Education removed

5: Committee headed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to examine security upgradation and infrastructure at hospitals

“We have tried fulfilling most of their demands. Their first demand was justice for Abhaya. We all want justice. The case is with CBI. I salute the doctors for their fight. I am myself born out of agitation and I respect theirs. According to me the meeting was positive. What they will decide after this, is their call. We have appealed them to return to work. There are floods happening, people need medical help. We are dependent on junior doctors. They are much younger to us and as elders we need to adjust more and we have done. We hope they will return to their duties”, Mamata Banerjee added and signed off the press conference.

The Junior Doctors after returning to their protest site, where they had been holding demonstrations outside Swastya Bhavan, the state health headquarter for the past seven days, decided that as far as their cease work is concerned, that will continue but final decision will be taken on Tuesday after the Supreme Court hearing and after the implementation of the transfers of officials, what has been assured by the state government. Jr Doctors hailed the outcome as their victory and “victory of their movement”.

“This is just not the victory of the doctors but also the victory of the people of Bengal who have stood by this movement. The state has accepted their defeat before our movement. There could be future meeting too in order to bring an end to the threat culture existing at government hospitals” said Dr Kinjal Nanda.

Monday’s meeting was a follow up to what unfolded on last Thursday and Saturday. The first government invite was sent to the junior doctors on September 10, that was rejected. The second invite was sent by the government on the following day. The junior doctors eventually in response to the third invite on September 12, went to ‘Nabanna’ to meet with the Chief Minister but the meeting failed over the demand for talks be live-streamed. On September 14, CM went to the protest site in a surprise visit, and the doctors later on the same evening went to meet the Chief Minister at her residence but again the meeting got washed away over the demand for live streaming.

The junior doctors, who have been striking to highlight their grievances over working conditions and safety, expressed cautious optimism following the meeting with the Chief Minister on Monday evening. A spokesperson for the junior doctors, Dr. Rajesh Kumar, stated, “We appreciate the Chief Minister’s willingness to listen and make necessary changes. It is a step in the right direction, and we are hopeful that this will lead to a resolution of our concerns. Our focus remains on returning to work and providing the best care for our patients.”​