West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday visited junior doctors protesting against the rape and murder of their colleague at a Kolkata hospital in August and urged them to resume their duties, NDTV reported.

The 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front has been leading protests for over a month seeking the resignation of the Kolkata police commissioner and senior state health department officials. The group has also demanded that the “threat culture” in West Bengal’s medical centres must end.

Banerjee said that her visit to the protest site was her last attempt to resolve the deadlock between the state government and the doctors.

“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis...” Banerjee said. “If you keep your faith in me, I will look into your complaints. The case is on in the Supreme Court and the next hearing is on Tuesday. I don’t want you to suffer. I have come to make a request as your didi [elder sister], not as a chief minister.”

The Supreme Court had on Monday warned the doctors that they may face disciplinary action from the state government if they did not and their strike and resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday. The doctors have defied the court’s directive so far.

The doctors’ agitation has disrupted medical services at state-run hospitals in West Bengal. The state government claimed before the Supreme Court on Monday that 23 persons died while the strike was underway.

Banerjee told the medics that she was empathetic towards their protest and assured them that no action would be taken against them.

“I have spent sleepless nights as you have been protesting on the road amid rain,” the Hindustan Times quoted Banerjee as having told the protesting doctors. “I assure you that I will study your demands, take action if someone is found guilty.”

NDTV quoted the chief minister as saying that a committee consisting of senior and junior doctors as its members will be set up in every hospital.

“Everyone found guilty will be punished, it is not like they are my friends,” Banerjee said, referring to the doctors’ demand for the resignation of officials. “Please talk amongst yourselves and return to work, I will not take any action. In Uttar Pradesh, action was taken, I won't do that. I know you work a lot, I know how important you are,” she said.

It was unclear which incident in Uttar Pradesh Banerjee was referring to.

The attempts to hold talks between the state government and the doctors have failed so far. The chief minister also holds the health portfolio in the state government.

On Tuesday, the protestors had rejected an initial offer from the state government for talks, objecting to an invitation that sought to restrict the number of representatives who could meet Banerjee.

After this, the state’s Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had again invited the junior doctors for talks with Banerjee on Wednesday.

The chief secretary’s email on Wednesday included an invitation to a delegation of 12 to 15 doctors for talks at the state secretariat at 6 pm. In response, the protesting doctors demanded that a 30-member delegation be allowed to take part in the talks.

On Thursday, Pant sent a third invitation to the protestors for talks with Banerjee.

The junior doctors have also demanded disciplinary proceedings against Sandip Ghosh, the principal of the institute at the time of the rape and murder, and other persons, under the 1971 West Bengal Services Classification, Control and Appeal Rules.

The rules provide for disciplinary action against government employees for misconduct.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders restricting gatherings of more than five people around the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital were extended till September 30, PTI reported.

The orders was imposed by Kolkata authorities on August 18 amid protests against the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the institute.

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