Police remove barricades, allow junior doctors to march to Bentinck Street protesting over Kolkata doctor rape-murder

Mid-day

After 24 hours of protest, junior doctors in Kolkata were allowed to march from BB Ganguly Street to Bentinck Street on Tuesday. The police had previously blocked their passage as they marched towards the Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar, demanding the resignation of Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. A strong police contingent created a human chain at the Bentinck Street crossing, where the doctors were kept. However, senior police officers agreed to accompany a few protesting doctors to Lalbazar for a potential meeting with the commissioner, reported PTI.

"It will be a peaceful rally and we will march together till Bentinck Street. Our representatives will arrive at Lalbazar to meet the CP," one of the agitating doctors told PTI.

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Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Protesting doctors joined by students from other colleges, locals

According to the report, the junior doctors, who started their march on Monday afternoon, were joined by students from other institutions and nearby people. They spent the entire night on B B Ganguly Street, roughly half a km from Lalbazar, after being unable to move further.

The protestors placed a facsimile of a spine and red flowers atop the barricade to represent the police's obligation to protect citizens.

"This was not in our plan. We did not know that Kolkata Police were so scared that they would put up a nine-foot-high barricade to stop us. Our agitation will continue till we are allowed to reach Lalbazar and meet the CP. We will continue sitting here till then," one of the agitating doctors told PTI.

They sloganeered as they marched holding placards calling for Goyal's resignation and seeking exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case. The protesting students also burnt an effigy of the police commissioner after the students were stopped at BB Ganguly Street.

Kolkata doctor rape-murder: ACP, others meet medicos to defuse situation

Additional Police Commissioner Santosh Pandey and other cops arrived later to meet with the medicos and try to defuse the tension.

The demonstration was started by reports of insufficient police action in the investigation of the alleged rape and death of a trainee doctor at Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The case was then moved to the CBI by direction of the Calcutta High Court.