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RG Kar: Kolkata top cop Vineet Goyal, senior health officials removed, says Mamata after meeting with junior doctors

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 18 Sep 2024, 11:34 am

Kolkata: After a marathon meeting with the protesting junior doctors to end the ongoing impasse and a 38-day-long ceasework following the brutal RG Kar rape and murder, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday late night announced to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and DC North Abhishek Guptabesides besides two other health officials bowind to the demands of the protesters.

After days of high drama, the long-awaited meeting between the two sides materialised on Monday evening stretching for nearly five hours till midnight.

Speaking to reporters outside her Kalighat residence, Banerjee said: "Forty-two representatives of junior doctors have signed the minutes of the meeting. Both parties are happy that we could hold the discussion addressing their concerns in detail."

"Of their 5 demands, the first was justice, which has now been entrusted with the CBI," she said.

"Since they are unhappy with the police, we have agreed to remove Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. He will be entrusted with the role of his choice as he himself wants to recuse himself from this post. He will step down at 4 PM on Tuesday and the new CP will be announced," Banerjee announced

"The DC North will be removed as well," she said, noting that this was one of their demands as well.

Banerjee also announced the removal of two health officials-DME and DHS.

"Besides this, we will take measures to enhance the safety and security of the hospitals," the CM announced.

"We accepted three demands and requested them to join the work so that commoners do not suffer amid a spike in dengue cases in Kolkata. I urge them to join work and extend their service to those in need," she said.

Earlier the junior doctors while boarding the bus said the CM accepted their demnds to remove the police commissioner.

"We have discussed our 5-point demands. While we are on the same page on various issues, we have disagreements on several points. We will give our full press statement from our agitation site after holding a general body meeting. CP's resignation has been accepted," one of the junior doctors said.

They are yet to make a decision on the casework.

The meeting between protesting junior doctors of Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata was held for almost five hours on Monday evening that was aimed at ending the ongoing impasse that started with the demand for justice over the gruesome rape and murder of a medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The meeting was held with 42 representatives of the agitating junior doctors.

The state government allowed two stenographers from the agitating doctors' side.

The doctors are yet to leave Banerjee's residence as local television reports say that the minutes of the proceedings are being jotted down, which will be signed by both parties.

The state government allowed two stenographers from the agitating doctors' side.

The state government had earlier described this as a "fifth and final invitation for talks". Unlike the last two times, the protesting junior doctors have made it past the doorway and talks were held.

A crowd of people have gathered outside the CM's house who are expecting positive outcomes from the meeting.

The meeting took place just a day before the Supreme Court will hear the case related to the rape and murder of the doctor which has triggered a tsunami of protests in Bengal and across the country. Protests are also organised across the world by the Bengali diaspora.

"We are going for the meeting with our five-point demands," one of the protesting doctors told the media.

"We are having our own stenographers to ensure transparency is maintained during the meeting," another protesting doctor said.

In a letter from chief secretary Manoj Pant, it was cleared to the doctors that their demand for live-streaming or video recording won't be allowed in the meeting citing that the matter is in the court.

"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 sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties," said Pant in the letter.

The junior doctors' five-point demand includes the removal of city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam besides their safety, punishment of the guilty and the culture of threat in the healthcare system.

What happened last week?

On Thursday, about 30-35 junior doctors reached the state government headquarters Nabanna but didn't attend the meeting as their demand for live-streaming of the discussion was turned down by the Chief Minister.

After Mamata reached the doctors' dharna site on Saturday afternoon, the protesters agreed to a meeting at the Chief Minister's residence but the question of live-streaming played spoilsport initially.

After repeated requests from the Chief Minister and a promise of meeting minutes, the junior doctors agreed for a discussion but junior Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and state chief secretary Manoj Pant said it was time over for the day.