"Barricades give way to stethoscope": Kolkata’s doctors to march to Bentinck Street, meet Police Commissioner Goyal

The junior doctors in Kolkata, who have been protesting to demand Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal's resignation, were finally allowed to march to Bentinck Street from BB Ganguly Street, almost 24 hours after they started their march to Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar.

"Barricades give way to stethoscope", tweeted Dr Abhinaba Pal (@abhinabavlogs) on social media platform X.

The medics are demanding police commissioner Vineet Goyal to step down from the position in light of the brutal rape and murder case at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital that took place last month on August 9 and the vandalising of RG Kar protests site and college on August 14/15 night.

As per a report by PTI, the cops on Tuesday, September 3, removed barricades and allowed the medics to march to Bentinck Street from BB Ganguly Street. From there, a few representatives of junior doctors would be accompanied by senior officers of the Kolkata Police to Lalbazar where they were likely to meet Goyal.

As per TV channels, Kolkata Police started bringing down nine-foot barricades today, September 3, that were blocking the way for protestors.

Police sources said that at the Bentinck Street crossing, a huge team of policemen would form a human chain.

"It will be a peaceful rally and we will march together till Bentinck Street. Our representatives will go to Lalbazar to meet the CP," one of the agitating doctors told PTI.

Junior doctors of different medical colleges who took out a rally to Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar demanding the resignation of police commissioner Vineet Goyal, stayed put at nearby BB Ganguly street even on today, September 3, more than 23 hours after they were stopped from marching further.

The doctors, who were joined by several common people as well as students from other educational institutions, spent the entire Monday night on BB Ganguly street, around half a kilometre away from Lalbazar, to stop them from marching ahead.

"This was not in our plan. We did not know that the Kolkata Police were so scared that they would put up a nine-foot-high barricade to stop us. Our agitation will continue till we are allowed to reach Lalbazar and meet the CP. We will continue sitting here till then," another protestor told PTI.

The doctors started their march towards Lalbazar at around 2 pm on Monday, September 2, holding placards which displayed illustrations of Goyal with texts calling for his resignation.

They also burnt an effigy of the police commissioner after they were stopped on BB Ganguly Street.