Mamata pays surprise visit to doctors’ protest site, medics refuse to compromise on demands

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to the site where the junior doctors are protesting in Kolkata against the rape and murder of a young medic at R G Kar Hospital and assured them of looking into their demands.

However, after she left the protest site, the agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held, indicating no immediate breakthrough in the impasse.

Speaking to the protesting doctors amid chants of "we want justice" outside the state health ministry office in Salt Lake in East Kolkata, Mamata said she has been spending “sleepless nights” because the medics were agitating on the road amid rains, describing her visit as the "last attempt" to resolve the crisis.

Urging the doctors, who have been on a cease-work agitation for more than a month, to return to duties, she assured the protesters that she would not take any action against them because she did not believe in suppressing a democratic movement.

"I came to meet you as your 'didi' (elder sister) not as the chief minister," she said. "I assure you that I will study your demands and take action if someone is found guilty," she added.

Responding to Mamata’s visit, an agitating doctor said, "We welcome the gesture. We are ready to sit for talks. We too want to resolve this situation. But we will not compromise on our demands until discussions are held."

The medics have been camping outside the health ministry office since Tuesday with a host of demands, including better security at state-run hospitals and the removal of top officials over the rape and murder of the doctor.

The talks between the state government and the doctors have remained deadlocked after a meeting with Mamata on Thursday failed to materialize with the government rejecting the demand of the protesters to livestream it.