- Junior doctors will resume their essential tasks starting tomorrow.
- The decision comes in the wake of deadly floods in parts of Bengal.
- Doctors are demanding better security and additional CCTV coverage.
KOLKATA: Striking junior doctors in India's West Bengal state have agreed to resume essential services, in a partial resumption of medical facilities, but will continue their strike over the rape and murder of a colleague more than a month ago.
The rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in West Bengal in August sparked a wave of protests by doctors demanding greater workplace safety for women and justice for their slain colleague, prompting India's Supreme Court to set up a task force on hospital safety.
Junior doctors will resume essential duties from Saturday, the West Bengal Young Doctors Front, which represents around 7,000 doctors in the state, said in a statement on Thursday.
“The 'justice' movement will continue in every state-run hospital, but we have decided to resume essential services in the hospitals due to the flood situation in some parts of the state,” said Aniket Mahato of the West Bengal Young Doctors Front.
Doctors are demanding better security, including additional CCTV coverage, deployment of female security personnel, adequate lighting, toilets and rest areas.
A police volunteer has been arrested in connection with the rape and death of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata City, the college's former director has been arrested on allegations of evidence tampering and corruption, and the police chief of the capital Kolkata has been replaced.
Although tougher laws were introduced after the horrific 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in the national capital New Delhi, activists say the Kolkata case shows how women in the country continue to suffer sexual violence.
