Solidarity and Service: Inside the Medics' Sit-In Protest

Physician Arpan Maity spearheads a solidarity effort, providing essentials like food and raincoats to protesters and locals at a medical sit-in. Volunteers distribute thousands of food packets while a clinic treats hundreds daily. The movement, driven by the Junior Doctors' Forum, seeks justice for a rape-murder victim.

Forty-year-old Arpan Maity, an alumnus of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, is at the forefront of a solidarity operation amidst a sit-in near the state health department headquarters. Medical professionals have been protesting for five days, seeking justice for a rape-murder victim and calling for resignations of key officials.

Common people have been flooding the site with essential supplies. Maity stated that by 2 pm on Saturday, 3,000 free food packets had been distributed, not only to protestors but also to local hawkers, rickshaw-pullers, and others expressing solidarity. Volunteers like Prajakta Sikdar have played a vital role, distributing hundreds of vegetarian food packets and ensuring refreshments are available for all.

Beyond food, a taxi driver was seen unloading hundreds of food packets, and other individuals brought folding cots for added comfort. Dibyendu Banerjee, a junior doctor, oversees the 'Abhaya' Clinic at the site, which has been packed with patients since dawn. The clinic, named after a rape-murder victim, has treated over 350 people in the past few days, reflecting the community's resilience and solidarity.

(With inputs from agencies.)