As doctors’ hunger strike enters 11th day, SC to hear RG Kar case today

KOLKATA — The fast-unto death demonstration by junior doctors against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has entered the 11th day on Tuesday.

A crucial hearing on rape and murder is scheduled at the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, where the issue of the ongoing hunger strike by the junior doctors is likely to come up during the hearing. The Supreme Court in the last hearing in September had observed that the revelations made by the Central Bureau of Investigation about its investigation into the rape and murder of the 31-year-old resident doctor were “disturbing”.

The focus of the day will also be on the two parallel and counter carnivals at central Kolkata — the first being the annual carnival of Durga idol immersion organised by the West Bengal government and the second being the human chain- protest demonstration christened as “Droh-Carnival” organised by the representatives of the state’s medical fraternity in support of their demand on the rape and murder issue.

Kolkata Police have already denied no-objection for the “Droh-Carnival”. As the representatives from the medical fraternity have announced that they will continue with their scheduled programme for the evening even after that, the city police have imposed prohibitory orders for the day in and around the route where the human-chain protest demonstration is scheduled.

Meanwhile, on Monday evening, another doctor participating in the hunger strike demonstration at Esplanade in central Kolkata had to be hospitalised after she fell unconscious on the floor of the nearby toilet.

Tanaya Panja, who was hospitalised on Monday evening, was among the first six junior doctors who started the fast-unto-death agitation in the evening of October 5 at Esplanade. She is the fifth junior doctor to be hospitalised following a deterioration in medical conditions, with the other four being Aniket Mahato of R.G. Kar, Anustup Mukhopadhyay of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, Plastya Acharya of N.R.S, Medical College & Hospital and Aloke Verma of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital at Siliguri in Darjeeling district.