Thu Sep 12 20:57:37 UTC 2024: ## Deadlock Persists: Junior Doctors Refuse to Meet West Bengal CM Without Live Stream

**Kolkata, August 16:** Efforts to resolve the ongoing strike by junior doctors in West Bengal suffered a major setback on Thursday as the doctors refused to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee without a live-streamed session. The doctors, protesting against the alleged rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College, arrived at the meeting venue but remained outside the gates for over an hour in a tense standoff with government officials.

Despite Chief Minister Banerjee’s willingness to meet the doctors and her assurances of transparency, including a recording of the session, the doctors insisted on live telecasting of the proceedings. The state’s chief secretary, Manoj Pant, conveyed that a live stream was not feasible, but offered a full video recording of the meeting.

“The chief minister has been waiting for over an hour and a half. We have tried to explain to the doctors that their demand for a live stream cannot be met, but we are ready to document the entire session. There should be a limit to such demands,” Pant stated, urging the doctors to reconsider their position.

The meeting was intended to address the doctors’ grievances regarding the handling of the case involving the death of their colleague. The body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found with severe injuries on August 9, sparking outrage and leading to a statewide strike, severely disrupting healthcare services.

In a display of frustration but conciliatory tone, Chief Minister Banerjee expressed her willingness to forgive the protesting doctors despite the impasse. “I tried thrice to hold talks with the junior doctors to end the RG Kar stalemate. I am still saying that I will not take any action against them for not coming and making us wait for two hours. I will forgive them because being elders, it is our responsibility to forgive our younger ones,” she stated.

Banerjee also offered an apology to the people of Bengal for the continued crisis. “I apologize to the people of Bengal who expected an end to the RG Kar impasse today…I am ready to resign from my post for the sake of people. I don’t want the chair, I want justice (for the deceased) and treatment for the people (patients),” she added.

The impasse continues, leaving the future of the negotiations uncertain and the state’s healthcare system in a precarious state.

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