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Junior doctors are set to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today to discuss the ongoing issues related to the RG Kar rape-murder case. The doctors have been protesting and are currently on an indefinite hunger strike. They have stated that they will continue the strike until the meeting, and the future of their protests will depend on the results of this discussion.

Many citizens have shown their support for the junior doctors by participating in a mass protest while the doctors continue their hunger strike. On Saturday, CM Banerjee urged the protesting doctors to end their fast, stating that most of their demands had been met, except for the removal of the health secretary, N S Nigam.

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Standoff over hunger strike

Chief Secretary Manoj Pant invited the doctors for a 45-minute meeting with Banerjee at the state secretariat. However, this invitation came with the condition that the hunger strike must be withdrawn. The doctors have insisted that they will not end their hunger strike before the meeting takes place. They remain firm in their demand for the removal of health secretary N S Nigam to resolve the situation.

Debasish Halder, one of the protesting doctors, expressed concern about the health of those on the hunger strike. He also noted that the striking doctors will not attend the meeting due to their ongoing protest. The doctors pointed out that they have attended previous meetings called by the state government but have not reached a satisfactory resolution.

During a phone call with the doctors, CM Banerjee emphasized the importance of not allowing protests to disrupt healthcare services. She asked the doctors to reconsider their hunger strike. Banerjee explained that while some officials had been removed, it was not feasible to remove everyone in a department simultaneously. She encouraged the doctors to focus on their work and not mix politics with their demands.

The protests were triggered by the tragic incident of a junior doctor who was raped and murdered on August 9 inside RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, leading to widespread outrage about safety conditions for medical staff.