Medicos go on hunger strike

Braving the 42-degree heat as many as 15 students and junior doctors of MLN Medical College sat on an indefinite relay hunger strike at SRN Hospital on Tuesday. The students protested against the caste-based reservation in premiere institutes and termed the move as against the basic principle of secularism. They also handed over a memorandum to the district magistrate and principal MLN Medical College informing about their decision to continue their agitation in the form of indefinite hunger strike.

Braving the 42-degree heat as many as 15 students and junior doctors of MLN Medical College sat on an indefinite relay hunger strike at SRN Hospital on Tuesday.

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The students protested against the caste-based reservation in premiere institutes and termed the move as against the basic principle of secularism.

They also handed over a memorandum to the district magistrate and principal MLN Medical College informing about their decision to continue their agitation in the form of indefinite hunger strike.

In the first batch seven girls also joined the junior doctors in going on hunger strike to indicate that they will not bow to the pressure created by the government to call off their agitation. The students also shouted slogans against PM Manmohan Singh, Union ministers Arjun Singh and P Chidambaram and conducted meeting near SRNH Emergency ward.

The PG and UG students who sat on hunger strike included Dr Apoorva Mittal, JDA general secretary Dr CS Joshi, Dr Vivek Singhala, Dr Reeta Singh, Ashwarya, Deepti Loomba, Neha Agarwal, Bhavna Chaturvedi, Suniti, Manu Bhardwaj, Manjul Mishra, Anuj Jain, Ashish Chaturvedi, Rajkumar Mishra and Shashi Shekhar Singh. 

These students were replaced by another batch of medicos in the second 12-hour shift, which started from 8pm.

"This rotation would continue until the government drops the idea to give reservation on caste basis. India is a secular country and the reservation is against the basic spirit of secularism. Moreover, the early reservation policies talked of giving reservation for only a period of ten years. Once and for all it has to be decided that how many times the government wants to extend reservation policy," said Dr CS Joshi.

JDA president Dr Neeraj said a 'Maha Rally' would be organised on May 28, which would be participated, by students, teachers, businessmen and service class.

"The basic idea is to make people understand the evils of reservation system.

Even the OBC students would not be benefited from quota system because in the professions like medical and engineering one needs a high competency level," he informed.

Dr Sunil Kumar Shukla said a 'Bhuddhi-Shuddhi' Yagya and Hanuman Chalisa would be performed to pray to God to cleanse the mind of Arjun Singh and Manmohan Singh.

Meanwhile the SRNH OPD remained paralysed on the seventh day on Tuesday.
With a large number of patients shifting to other hospitals most of the wards wore a deserted look.