Kolkata, Oct 19 (IANS): A 26 km mega rally "Nyaybichar Yatra" (Rally for Justice), seeking justice for the junior woman doctor of the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital who was raped and murdered on the premises of the state-run facility August this year, was taken out on Saturday.
As scheduled, the rally started from the residence of the victim in North 24 Parganas district. The rally would end at Esplanade in central Kolkata, where seven junior doctors are on fast-unto-death agitation in support of their demands over R.G. Kar rape-murder case.
At the time of filing this report, the mega rally was underway. It is being expected that the rally would reach the final destination at Esplanade later on Sunday night, covering a total distance of around 26 km.
Although the organisers of the mega rally were representatives of the medical fraternity in the state, they also requested the common people to participate in the rally.
The rally started from the residence of the victim with the doctors and other members of the medical fraternity at the forefront and thousands of common people from different walks of life following them.
Many people also joined the rally midway and as the rally proceeded towards the destination, its size (in terms of human count) grew in numbers.
The protesting junior doctors are scheduled to address the gathering at the end of the rally at Esplanade and also announce their future course of action.
"As we have always maintained, the common people are the source of our strength. Today, the rally proves again how the common people have spontaneously extended their support towards our justified movement," said a junior doctor who participated in the rally.
Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had issued an appeal to the junior doctors on hunger-strike to withdraw their protest and return to duty.
A crucial meeting between the Chief Minister and the representatives of West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF), the umbrella body spearheading the movement in the matter, is scheduled on Monday at 5 p.m.
On Friday night, the protesting junior doctors had already cautioned the state government that they will be compelled to return to total cease-work mode from Tuesday unless their demands in the matter are fulfilled by the state government by Monday.