Amid Doctors Strike, TMC Leader Fires Pulwama Question: ‘If Jawans Abandon...’

As doctors across the nation continue their strike, demanding justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor who was brutally raped and killed at RG Kar Hospital, a provocative question from Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has ignited fresh debate on social media. Ghosh questioned how the medicos would react if soldiers, still awaiting justice for the 2019 Pulwama attack, were to abandon the border in protest. 

The Trinamool leader's comments come as the Mamata Banerjee-led party faces criticism for its handling of the horrible sexual assault and murder case. Last Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court handed the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, pointing out that the Kolkata Police had made little progress in the investigation. However, the West Bengal Mamata Banerjee’s party has countered the allegations by questioning the progress of the CBI so far. 

"A request to end the doctors' strike, along with a question: Justice has still not been served for the Pulwama incident. So, if the jawans abandon the border and sit in protest, saying 'we want justice,' how would you view that?" Kunal Ghosh, a senior Trinamool leader and spokesperson for the party in the wake of the rape-murder tragedy, expressed his views in a post on X. 

On February 14, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Less than two weeks later, the Indian Air Force jets launched airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot, targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp. 

For the past 10 days, doctors from across the country have been demonstrating and asking for speedy justice in the matter. In response, the Supreme Court yesterday established a 10-member National Task Force to propose measures for preventing violence against healthcare workers and ensuring their safety at work. The court noted that unrestricted access within healthcare institutions has left doctors, nurses, and paramedics vulnerable to violence, despite their round-the-clock dedication.