RG Kar protest: Hunger-strike withdrawn but agitation to continue, says WBJDF (Lead)

Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS) West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), spearheading the movement against the rape and murder of a fellow junior doctor of R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital on Monday night announced to withdraw the hunger strike.

The WBJDF had started the hunger strike on October 5 evening.

However, the WBJDF representatives made it clear that despite withdrawing from the hunger strike they will not be withdrawing from the path of movement and demonstration on this issue.

A representative of WBJDF said that the decision to withdraw the hunger strike was taken following the request of the parents of the victim who arrived at the hunger-strike dais at Esplanade in central Kolkata on Monday evening.

Debasish Halder, one of the leading faces of the junior doctors’ association told media persons that despite withdrawing hunger strike, they will not be withdrawing from the path of agitation on this issue.

“We have withdrawn the hunger strike following the request of the victim’s parents and pleas from acclaimed personalities from the civil society. We have also decided to withdraw from our scheduled programme of a total strike from Tuesday. But we are not withdrawing from the path of agitation. On October 26, we will be organising a mass convention at R.G Kar,” Halder said.

However, Halder expressed displeasure over the “body language” of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the meeting of the representatives of the protesting junior doctors.

“The body language of the Chief Minister was not positive. We were not even allowed to enter the meeting sporting our ‘We want justice’ badge. The principal of different medical colleges & hospitals there were not allowed to speak at the meeting,” Halder said.

Parichay Panda, one of the junior doctors participating in the hunger strike, said that the withdrawal of the hunger strike does not mean that they are compromising with their demands.

“Our voices for demand for justice will be stronger in the coming days. So the administration should be careful,” Panda said.

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