Kolkata rape-murder: Mamata says ready to resign ‘for sake of people’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday said she is ready to resign "for the sake of people" and she also wants justice for the murdered RG Kar hospital doctor.

"I apologise to the people of Bengal who expected an end to the RG Kar impasse today. They (junior doctors) came to Nabanna (state secretariat) but did not sit for the meeting. I request them to go back to work," Mamata told a press conference in Kolkata.

She said, "I am ready to resign for the sake of the people as, despite my best intentions and efforts in the last three days, the medics declined to hold talks," the chief minister said.

Junior doctors in West Bengal have been on "cease work" for more than a month in protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at R G Kar Hospital on August 9, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Efforts to resolve the deadlock between the doctors and the West Bengal government were deadlocked after the medics refused to engage in talks with Mamata unless their demand for a live-streamed meeting was met.

The doctors reached Nabanna around 5:25pm but remained outside the gates for over an hour in a standoff with government officials.

Mamata, who had agreed to meet the doctors as part of ongoing efforts to end their strike, waited inside the venue for over an hour.

Despite assurances from the state government that the session would be recorded for transparency, the doctors insisted on a live telecast of the proceedings.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant conveyed that live streaming was not feasible but promised to provide a full video recording of the meeting.

"The chief minister has been waiting for over an hour and a half. We have tried to explain to the doctors that their demand for a live stream cannot be met, but we are ready to document the entire session. There should be a limit to such demands," Pant told reporters and urged the doctors to reconsider their stance.