Mamata says Centre’s conspiracy in RG Kar hospital protests

West Benga l Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that the Centre was conspiring over public outcry involving the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at a state-run hospital last month. She also claimed that some Left parties were involved in it. Speaking at an administrative review meeting at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’, Banerjee also claimed she had never offered money to the deceased doctor’s parents, dismissing a campaign that the family members of the postgraduate trainee were requested to accept compensation.

The chief minister took the opportunity to urge people to “return to festivities” as Durga puja is round the corner. “If you stay on the roads every night, elderly people suffer from sleep deprivation because of noise pollution. We haven’t acted on state pollution control board norms. One month has passed. I request you to return to festivities and demand that the CBI completes investigations at the earliest,” she said. The Bengal CM also requested the junior doctors to resume duty at the earliest and directed state Health Secretary NS Nigam to keep a note of the Supreme Court’s direction on the issue.

Earlier in the day, the top court directed the protesting resident doctors in West Bengal to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday and said it wouldn’t stop the state from taking action against the striking doctors if they failed to meet the deadline. The court passed the direction after the Bengal government assured it that no action, including punitive transfers, would be taken against the protesting doctors on resumption of work. “The Supreme Court has requested you to join duty, I will repeat that request. If you have anything to say, you are always welcome. You can form a team of 5 to 10 members and meet me,” she said, offering acrossthe- table talks with the agitating doctors. “Kolkat a Police arrested the culprit within 12 hours of the incident. The Kolkata police commissioner sent one of his officers to meet the parents and showed CCTV footage to brief them about the investigation. “When I reached their house, the CP was with me. I asked the CP to record all of their allegations. There are people accusing me of speaking of money. I never said any such thing.

Show me a proof of that. This is a slanderous lie, a conspiracy.” Banerjee asserted. The chief minister had visited the residence of the murdered RG Kar hospital doctor on August 12 and met her parents. “I told the parents that if they had plans to honour their daughter’s memory, our government would stand by them. I know what words to utter in such situations. “Even after I left, you (reporters) asked the parents about this. We have records of what I had said,” she said. The CM drew attention of a doctors’ body demanding compensation for the family members of the victim. “Before I went to the deceased doctor’s home, the Residential Doctors’ Forum had made an official statement in which they had mentioned adequate compensation to the family. They had made a demand. The SC has a directive to help the families of such victims,” Banerjee said. She asked about the intention behind the ongoing protests over the medic’s alleged rape and murder at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

“This (the protests) is definitely a conspiracy by the Centre and some Left parties are also involved in it. Some people are taking advantage of the recent turmoil in our neighbouring country. They have forgotten that India and Bangladesh are separate nations,” she said.