Calcutta HC pulls RG Kar doctors for using microphones during agitation, warns of action
Kolkata: Slamming the use of microphones at the RG Kar Medical College Hospital complex for allegedly passing abusive remarks against the principal of the institute during an agitation by medical students, the Calcutta High Court has warned the medicos of action if they fail to follow the court's directives.
The court further directed that patients should not suffer in any way due to the agitation and the agitators would have to take responsibility if any service was disrupted.
The stir had begun in early October following months of dispute between the medical interns and the hospital's principal over a series of issues. The protest began after a video of the principal threatening the medicos had gone viral on social media, after the latter had paid a visit to the principal to talk about their demands.
The core demands of the protesters included the formation of a Democratic Students Council, formation of a proper Hospital Development Committee, resolution of the hostel accommodation problem for girls, and resignation of the college principal, Sandeep Ghosh. Medical Dialogues team has been extensively reporting about the strike led by the medicos and doctors.
Also Read: RG Kar doctors call off strike
The division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj stated that the ongoing way in which protesters were demanding for the removal of the principal, was not acceptable. The court noted that the protesting medicos and doctors would have to take responsibility if the hospital services were affected.
The advocate General S N Mookherjee submitted that the hospital services were being affected due to the strike. He added that the protesters were passing abusive remarks using microphones against the principal.
The court questioned the use of microphones by the protesters during the agitation within the hospital complex, adding that the action violated the court order.
According to a media report in the Times of India, the Health secretary N S Nigam also presented a report to the court stating that he had spoken to the medicos.
The counsel for the medicos submitted that the students have a right to organize any movement. On the other hand, the counsel for the hospital said that the principal was unable to come to his office due to the situation.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported the previous order passed by the Calcutta High Court directing the health secretary of the West Bengal government to meet the protesting medical students and junior doctors of the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on October 29, while adjudicating upon a PIL which alleged that the medical services in the hospital were affected due to the strike.
The Free Press Journal reports that the protest initially began with the demand for student council election and hostel related issues, which eventually escalated to the demand for the principal's resignation.
The protest carried out by the medical students and junior doctors at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was called off after a period of 30 days, in November, after the state health department had fulfilled some of the demands of the protesters, except for the removal of the college principal.
The Health department and college officials had been repeatedly asking the protesters to call off the strike and resume their duty.
The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday by the court.
Also Read: Calcutta HC directs Health Secretary to meet protesting RG Kar Medical College medicos
