In solidarity with the ongoing protests over the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor in West Bengal, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) announced a nationwide hunger strike on Monday.
Following a meeting, the association confirmed that the hunger strike will commence on Wednesday, marking two months since the tragic incident involving a trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College, which occurred on August 9.
“We have been in close contact with the West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front and are united in our stance,” said Suvrankar Datta, President of FAIMA.
"After extensive deliberation, we have decided to organise a nationwide hunger strike in solidarity with our colleagues in West Bengal, Datta said.
Datta also emphasised that the hunger strike is intended to amplify the voices of the junior doctors who have been on strike for weeks, advocating for better working conditions, enhanced safety protocols, and other essential reforms.
The doctors' association has also called on healthcare workers across the country to participate in the strike, to highlight unity among medical professionals in their fight for fair treatment and improved conditions, FAIMA said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the CBI has filed a charge sheet against the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, in the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, PTI reported.
In its charge sheet filed before a special court in Kolkata, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Roy, who was working as a civic volunteer with the local police, allegedly committed the crime on August 9 when the victim had gone to sleep in the hospital's seminar room during a break, they said.
The agency did not mention the charge of gang rape, indicating that Roy alone committed the crime, according to the officials.
The body of the trainee doctor was found at 9.30 am on August 9 by her colleague who went looking for her before starting ward rounds. The Tala police station was informed about the "body of a lady lying in an unconscious state" and its team reached the spot around 10.30 am.
The junior doctor's killing sparked a protest by resident doctors across the country, demanding better security for them.
(With inputs from PTI)
