Kolkata:

The father of the deceased woman medic of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday said he has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has called him for a meeting.

He, however, declined to divulge much about his talks with Shah and when and where the meeting would be held.

“I have spoken to him (Amit Shah). He has called me (for a meeting). I cannot talk much about it, but the meeting will take place,” the father of the deceased woman medic at the RG Kar Hospital told reporters.

The parents of the victim had earlier written to Shah on October 22 requesting him to give them an appointment to guide and help them get justice.

State BJP leaders had said they would try to arrange a meeting between Shah and the couple during his visit to Kolkata on October 27, but it did not happen.

The parents had, however, said they were not upset about not getting an audience with Shah during his visit and expressed hope that they may get the opportunity to meet the Union home minister in future.

The body of the on-duty woman medic, who was raped and murdered, was recovered from the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital on August 9, following which the junior doctors went on a ‘cease-work’ across West Bengal demanding justice for the victim.

They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21 following assurances from the state government to look into their demands.

The Kolkata Police, which was investigating the crime initially, had arrested one civic volunteer before the CBI took over the investigation following an order of the Calcutta High Court.

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Kolkata’s protesting doctors’ plan to distribute leaflets at pandals during the ongoing Durga Puja was vetoed by the police over concerns about crowd management. The police contend that the sensitive issue could upset people and lead to a law and order issue in the festive season. 

The doctors, a section of whom are on a hunger strike, wanted to reach out to the people and spread awareness about their demands from the state government. The protesters have been called to the state secretariat tonight for another round of discussion.

The escalation in doctors’ protest comes days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met them and accepted most of their demands. 

The junior doctors have been on hunger strike since Saturday demanding justice for the 31-year-old doctor raped and murdered at the hospital premises on August 9.

They also want a clean-upo of the system — an alleged corruption-threat syndicate — and the formation of a  patient-friendly system and campus democracy.

Their other demands include the establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and the formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms, and washrooms at their workplaces. 

They are also demanding increased police protection in hospitals, recruitment of permanent women police personnel, and swift filling of vacant positions for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.

After four days of the junior doctors’ hunger strike, 50 senior doctors resigned yesterday in a show of support.