"If Jawans Desert...": Trinamool Leader's Pulwama Question For Doctors

Amid nationwide doctors' protests in the wake of a rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata, a Trinamool Congress leader has asked how the medicos would respond if security forces went on strike to demand action against those behind the 2019 Pulwama attack.

"With a request to doctors to end their strike, I have a question. There has been no justice in the Pulwama case. So, if jawans desert the borders and start a 'we want justice' strike, how would they see it?" Kunal Ghosh, senior Trinamool leader who has been articulating the party's position in the aftermath of the rape-murder horror, said in a post on X.

Forty personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 when an explosives-laden vehicle crashed into a convoy of vehicles transporting the security personnel. Less than two weeks later, jets of the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot and targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp.

For the past 10 days, doctors across the country have been protesting against the chilling rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Hearing the matter yesterday, the Supreme Court set up a 10-member National Task Force to recommend steps to prevent violence against and ensure safe work conditions for healthcare professionals. "Medical professionals - doctors, nurses and paramedic staff - work round the clock. Unrestricted access to every part of healthcare institutions has made healthcare professionals susceptible to violence," the court said.

The Trinamool leader's remarks come at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led party is under fire over its handling of the heinous crime. Last Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation into the sensitive case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, noting that Kolkata Police had made no significant progress in the case.

The Trinamool Congress has countered the criticism over the incident by questioning what progress the CBI has made after it took over the probe.