Demonstration of doctors continues in Calcutta in defiance of court orders

The case is being heard in the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court had given the doctors a deadline of Tuesday evening to return to work. Since then, the protests in other cities of India have stopped, but doctors in Kolkata have said that they will continue the protest until the demand is met . The protesting doctors have set up a camp outside the West Bengal State Health Department headquarters .

The doctors have put forward five demands, including justice for the victims, dismissal of the senior police officer, and the guarantee of the safety of health workers. Protesters and the media named the victim doctor as Abhaya (fearless) as Indian law prohibits the publication of the names of victims of sex crimes. A hospital volunteer was arrested after the

incident. The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating this. The Supreme Court has already criticized the local administration and the police for being negligent in investigating the incident and managing the case. But the local administration has been refuting it .

The provincial government claims that 23 people died due to the strike by doctors after the incident of August 9. said . Public reports in the local media and videos posted on social media also allege that the absence of doctors has adversely affected the treatment.

The protesting doctors have been claiming that they have ensured that the emergency services are not affected. "Senior doctors are trying their best," Dr. Amrita Bhattacharya of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front told the BBC. We are active in treating patients.'

On Wednesday, local authorities rejected the doctors' terms for talks. One of the conditions of the doctors is that the meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should be broadcast live on TV .

Doctors protested across the state of West Bengal but only in greater Kolkata . According to Indian Express, more than 300 rallies were held in Kolkata alone last month. Among them, the midnight protests were led by women.

During some of the demonstrations there were clashes between the police and the protesters. The participants of the demonstration carried various banners and posters demanding justice for the victims.

Last Wednesday, a minister of state in West Bengal accused rivals of politicizing the protest. But the doctors claim that they are not affiliated with any political party or ideology .

Doctor Sumantra Dei said that people from all walks of life as well as different political parties participated in the protest . ``So far, our consultants are senior doctors . We are asking them what is the right way forward and choosing whether to listen to them," he said. "This is a united front."