“Today is the 52nd day of our protest, and we are still facing attacks. There is no positive response from the state government towards meeting our safety and security demands,” said Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating junior doctors, addressing the crowd at Esplanade.The protesters, mostly junior doctors, have been on a ‘cease work’ since Tuesday, accusing the West Bengal government of failing to fulfil promises made in mid-September.Although the doctors had partially resumed services after 42 days of the strike, they went back to ‘cease-work’ on Tuesday, alleging that key demands such as enhanced safety measures for medical staff were not implemented.Among the key demands raised by the Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front are the installation of CCTV cameras on hospital premises, round-the-clock security for healthcare workers, and stricter protocols to prevent similar incidents of violence against medical professionals.The culture of fear and intimidation within state-run hospitals has also been a focal point of the protests, with the doctors alleging that the administration has failed to provide a safe working environment.”We joined our profession to serve the people, but how can we do so when we constantly live in fear? We don’t feel safe in the very places where we are supposed to save lives,” said another junior doctor.While the West Bengal government had initially promised to address many of the doctors’ concerns following the first phase of protests, the agitating doctors claimed there has been little follow-up action.”The promises made were hollow. We are being asked to return to work without any concrete measures being put in place to ensure our safety,” Mahato said.Attempts by the government to broker peace with the doctors have so far failed, with state officials urging the medics to return to work and suggesting that police investigations into the alleged murder of the junior doctor are ongoing.The junior doctors’ protest has garnered widespread support from Kolkata’s general public, with many residents expressing solidarity with the movement.”This is not just about doctors. This is about justice, about safety in our institutions, and about holding those in power accountable,” said Swati Mukherjee, a homemaker who joined the rally along with her family.With no clear resolution in sight, and tensions between the junior doctors and the state government intensifying, the protest movement looks set to continue in the coming weeks, even as Kolkata prepares for its biggest festival of the year.Meanwhile, a statue christened ‘Abhaya’ was unveiled on RG Kar Hospital premises, which the agitating doctors claimed is a symbol of the ghastly act that occurred on August 9 and also of the ongoing protests demanding justice. “This statue is not of the victim, but a symbol of pain, torture she went through and the ongoing protests,” a junior doctor of the hospital told reporters.
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