Bengal junior doctors withdraw hunger strike following meeting with CM Mamata Banerjee

Agitating junior doctors on the evening of October 21 withdrew their weeks-long hunger strike over the RG Kar incident, hours after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The medics, who called off their hunger strike after 17 days, also called off their proposed strike across hospitals in the state on Tuesday.

“In today’s meeting (with the CM), we did get the assurance of some directives, but the body language of the state government was not positive… The common people have wholeheartedly supported us. They, as well as the parents of our deceased sister (RG Kar hospital victim), have been requesting us to call off the hunger strike, keeping in mind our deteriorating health.

“We are therefore withdrawing our ‘fast-unto-death’ and also Tuesday’s total shutdown in the health sector,” said Debashish Halder, one of the junior medics.