Doctors accept Mamata’s ‘fifth and final’ invite for talks, demand signed copy of minutes

In a move that could break the impasse caused by the protests by junior doctors in West Bengal, the agitators on Monday accepted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s yet another offer for talks but demanded that they be handed over a signed copy of the minutes of the meeting.

The state government readily accepted the demand and the two sides are likely to meet at Banerjee’s official residence in Kolkata in the evening.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister had invited “for the fifth and the final time” the junior doctors who have been protesting for over a month seeking justice to the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the RG Kar medical college hospital in the state capital.

"This is the fifth and the final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the honourable CM and the delegates. In line with our discussion the day before (Saturday), we are once again inviting you for the meeting with the CM at her Kalighat residence for discussions with an open mind," Chief secretary Manoj Pant said in the e-mail.

In reply to the letter, the agitating doctors said they were willing to attend the meeting and place their demands before the chief minister.

"As law-abiding citizens of the country, we are more than willing to attend the meeting. But it would have been really appreciated if the place of the meeting would have been an official and an administrative place as the matter is related to governance," they said.

"We would like to emphasise that the meeting be videographed by separate videographers of both the parties. If not possible from your side, entire video file of the meeting be handed over to the doctor representatives. If that is not possible, then the minutes of the full transcript of the meeting be recorded and formulated by both the parties and duly signed by all the attendees and handed over at the end of the meeting," the doctors further said.

The chief secretary responded, saying both the parties will sign the minutes of the meeting and copies will be shared with each party to ensure clarity.

West Bengal has been witnessing widespread protests by junior doctors and medical students ever since the body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found at the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital on August 9. A civil volunteer has been arrested in the case.

The CBI, which took over the probe following a directive by the Calcutta High Court, has arrested former principal of the RG Kar medical college Sandip Ghosh in connection with a separate corruption case, while Abhijit Mondal, the officer-in-charge of Tala Police Station, was taken into custody for allegedly tampering with evidence and delaying registration of the FIR.