RG Kar Case: Mumbai Junior Doctors, Medical Students Launch Hunger Strike In Solidarity

Junior doctors and medical students across government medical colleges in Mumbai participated in a hunger strike on Tuesday to support the fast-unto-death agitation by their counterparts in West Bengal, the Indian Medical Association said.

Doctors in West Bengal began their hunger strike on Oct. 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9.

Talking to PTI, IMA national vice president Shivkumar Utture said, "Medical students and junior doctors are the most affected by such incidents, and more than 60 days have gone by, and at the ground level, nothing has changed. Therefore, the IMA Medical Students Network and IMA Junior Doctors Network decided to participate in symbolic sit-outs to support the hunger strike in West Bengal." This strike did not cover any private hospitals, he said.

Utture said junior doctors at all medical colleges in Mumbai, including Sion Hospital, King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College (KEM Hospital), Cooper Medical College and JJ Hospital, participated in the token hunger strike.

Young doctors of Kolkata are on a fast-unto-death struggle and are on the 11th day of fasting, he said, adding that three of them have been hospitalised.