Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctors continue protest, criticise BJP's Suvendu Adhikari
Kolkata: Junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College have criticised BJP Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for his comments regarding the ongoing protests. Adhikari claimed that those chanting "Go Back" at BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul were not junior doctors, a statement the doctors firmly rejected, accusing him of attempting to politicise their movement.
The protest, which has entered its fourth night, continued despite heavy rain outside Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake. Junior doctors have emphasised that they will not allow their demands for justice to be used for political gain. The doctors' movement, which started after the August 9 incident, calls for systemic changes in the state’s healthcare infrastructure.
The junior doctors have listed several key demands, including the identification and arrest of those responsible for the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital. They are also calling for the resignation of Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal, disciplinary action against former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, improved safety measures for healthcare workers, and the resignation of senior health officials in the state.
They also sent a letter to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting intervention in the ongoing impasse at RG Kar Hospital. Copies were also sent to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Health Minister JP Nadda. Their demands include the holding of student union elections in medical colleges, forming a resident doctors' association, and conducting transparent elections for the West Bengal Medical Council.
Despite the heavy rain, the doctors continued their 'cease work' and sit-in demonstration outside Swasthya Bhavan, calling for justice. The Kolkata Police have installed CCTV cameras at the protest site to monitor the situation and ensure security.
The doctors expressed disappointment after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected their request to live telecast a meeting with state officials. They argued that their demand was reasonable, given that parliamentary discussions and administrative meetings are often broadcast live. The doctors were also frustrated with being asked to leave their electronic devices outside the meeting room, which prevented them from recording the proceedings.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
