A statewide hunger strike was declared on Monday by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) in support of the continuing demonstrations against the suspected rape and murder of a junior doctor in West Bengal.
The group said during a meeting that the hunger strike will start on Wednesday, August 9, two months after the unfortunate occurrence involving a trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College.
“We have been in close contact with the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front and are united in our stance,” said Suvrankar Datta, President of FAIMA.
“After extensive deliberation, we have decided to organise a nationwide hunger strike in solidarity with our colleagues in West Bengal,” Datta said.
Datta further underlined that the goal of the hunger strike is to raise awareness to the concerns raised by junior physicians who have been on strike for several weeks, calling for improved safety procedures, improved working conditions, and other crucial reforms.
In a statement, FAIMA stated that the doctors’ group has also urged healthcare workers nationwide to take part in the strike as a way to demonstrate the solidarity of the medical community in its pursuit of equitable treatment and better working circumstances.
In the meantime, Sanjay Roy, the primary accused in the rape and murder of a trainee physician at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, is the target of a charge sheet filed by the CBI.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in its charge sheet submitted to a special court in Kolkata that Roy, a local police volunteer, allegedly committed the crime on August 9 after the victim had fallen asleep in the hospital’s seminar room during a break.
According to the officials, the agency failed to include the gang rape charge, suggesting that Roy was the only one who committed the crime.
On August 9, around 9.30 a.m., the trainee doctor’s body was discovered by her colleague who had gone in search of her before beginning ward rounds. The “body of a lady lying in an unconscious state” was reported to the Tala police station, and at around 10.30 am, a team from that station arrived at the scene.
The murder of the junior physician led to a nationwide protest by resident physicians, who demanded increased security for themselves.
