Delhi docs go on mass leave today

Resident doctors of medical colleges mark Wednesday as a black day.

Resident doctors of Delhi's medical colleges marked Wednesday as a black day and declared they would go on mass leave on Thursday to protest the decision to implement caste-based quotas in central universities and institutes.

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"We will wear black badges on our aprons all through the day to protest against the quota decision. The badge would also express our solidarity towards medical students and interns who were brutally thrashed by policemen on Tuesday," said Anil Sharma, spokesperson of resident doctors association of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Sharma added that the doctors have also decided to go on mass leave on Thursday.

"We have the right to protest against the government's decision at least," he said.

"Doctors of the medical colleges and hospitals would meet during the day to discuss the further course of action," added Jitendra Singla, president of the resident doctors association of Maulana Azad Medical College.

"We do not want patients to face any difficulty due to our agitation."

The protests restarted when the cabinet decided on Monday to introduce a bill in the ongoing session of Parliament to implement the reservations in government-aided institutes of higher education.

On Tuesday, a day after the cabinet decision, large scale protests and clashes between medical students and police were reported at various places in the capital with 26 people being detained.

"Three of our students sustained severe injuries due to police violence," said Sharma.