A year on from the rape and murder of their colleague inside R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the junior doctors who led the agitation for justice and reform have faced legal, professional and financial troubles — with the latest police summons delivered to them earlier this week.
The protests following the August 9, 2024, incident had led to a wave of support for the doctors from across West Bengal and the country. However, prominent leaders of the protest, such as doctors Aniket Mahato, Ashfaqulla Naiya, Kinjal Nanda, and Debashis Halder, have had to deal with FIRs, court battles, and transfers.
Following their initial hospital allocations, Mahato, Naiya, and Halder were transferred to new facilities.
Mahato was transferred to Raigunj Government Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur, Naiya to Deben Mahato Government Medical College, and Hospital in Purulia, and Halder to Gazole Rural Hospital in Malda.
The three doctors challenged these transfers in court, claiming they were punitive and retaliatory and that they were being punished for their roles in the protests. They said the transfers occurred just three months after their original postings in February, which had placed Halder in Howrah, Mahato in Hooghly, and Naiya in Kolkata.
The case against the transfers are pending at the Calcutta High Court. The government has denied the claim that the transfers were related to the R G Kar protests and said they were routine moves.
Aniket Mahato said that he has not joined his posting, which is in a remote part of North Dinajpur, and with the case pending in court, he has not received a salary for months.
The doctors have also had FIRs filed against them in connection with the protests, including those under charges of unlawful assembly and “causing grievous hurt to police personnel”.
Earlier this year, Ashfaqulla Naiya’s residence was searched by police following a complaint regarding his degree. A few days after that, the West Bengal Medical Council wrote to the
R G Kar principal asking if Kinjal Nanda had taken permission before he acted in films. The body also sought details about Nanda’s service record, including his allowance, working hours, among other details.
Mahato said, “Legally, we are fighting the notices. Over the last year, we have faced many difficulties. I haven’t been able to practise medicine. I am sitting idle, not drawing a salary. Since April, I have been off duty… This has also affected me mentally.”
“We had no intention to jump into politics. But I am firm that I will continue my fight against injustice. My family has never pressured me, but they have been concerned,” Mahato said.
The agitation demanding justice for the junior doctor, who was raped and murdered, and reforms to ensure that such incidents are not repeated, began on August 9 last year and became a nationwide movement.
The protests continued to escalate in Kolkata even after the nationwide fervour died down.
At one point, CM Mamata Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site and invited protesters for a dialogue. However, their first meeting failed, with the doctors demanding that it be broadcast live.
Subsequent meetings led to partial breakthroughs, but the protest reignited after an incident of harassment at Sagar Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati in September. After this, the protesters went on a “fast to death”. The hunger strike was called off on October 21 after a meeting with the CM, who promised to work with them on implementing their demands. Protesters have continued to push their demands, saying that many of them have not been implemented.
Mahato said the movement still focuses on two main points — justice for their murdered colleague and the implementation of changes to prevent a similar incident. He said he believed that more than one person was involved in the crime, citing the post-mortem report that stated the cause of death was “throttling and smothering”. He questioned how one person could perform both actions and raised concerns about the sequence of events.
Police have arrested civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy for the rape and murder, saying he alone committed the crime. A Sealdah court convicted him on January 18.
The junior doctors believe that many questions, especially those related to allegations of evidence tampering, remain unanswered a year after their protest began.
The junior doctors said there has been some visible progress with the implementation of their demands, such as the transfer of several top officials and the installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals. However, other crucial demands, like creation of a central referral system and the recruitment of staff to fill vacancies, are stalled, they said.
The government, however, has said the implementation of the demands was a work in progress and pointed to the promises that have been kept. The large-scale, public protests have now dwindled to smaller, more contained movements at the college level, with doctors submitting deputations and continuing their fight in a quieter way. At R G Kar, the centre of protests last year, a few banners, a guardrail, and some pieces of art are all that remain of the protest site.