Resident doctors in Delhi, led by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), have been protesting against the repeated delay in the NEET-PG 2021 counselling for the last 10 days, boycotting all medical services including emergency services across hospitals in the national capital.
The agitating doctors have also threatened mass resignation if the government doesn't expedite the matter on NEET-PG counselling listed in the Supreme Court. As the protest continued on Monday, the evening took a dramatic turn with both medics and police personnel claiming several injuries in the ensuing melee.
What led to the violence on Monday night?
While FORDA claims that several of its members were "detained" when they tried to hold a protest march from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court, the Delhi Police has denied allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.
In a statement issued later, FORDA said it was a "black day in the history of the medical fraternity" and warned of a complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions from today onwards if their demands are not met.
"Resident doctors, the so-called 'Corona Warriors', protesting peacefully to expedite NEET PG Counselling 2021 were brutally thrashed, dragged and detained by the police," the statement said.
Why are the doctors protesting?
The RDAs across the nation have been protesting since November 27 against the multiple postponements of the NEET-PG 2021 counselling and the subsequent admission of the fresh batch of resident doctors in medical colleges. They had boycotted the emergency and the routine services in hospitals from December 6 but had suspended their agitation for a week "in view of the developments over the issue in the last few days and the death of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and others in a copter crash".
As the protest continues, resident doctors of Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge hospitals have been boycotting all routine and emergency services, as part of the nationwide protest, affecting patient care.
The admissions for NEET-PG have been delayed due to the dispute over revising the income criteria for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota from the current upper limit of Rs 8 lakh a year. The RDAs have urged the Union Government and the Supreme Court of India to take note of the grievance of resident doctors of the nation and to take necessary measures for expediting the NEET-PG 2021 counselling as well as admission process and to fast-track the court proceedings on an urgent basis.
What is the Delhi Police saying?
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Meena told PTI that a group of resident doctors "without having any authorised permission" blocked the BSZ Marg, main road between ITO and Delhi gate, and jammed the traffic for more than six hours... causing hardship and harassment to commuters and the general public".
They were "addressed by DG Health" who gave them the assurance of fulfilling their demands but they became "aggressive and even after pacifying them, they blocked the road", the senior police officer was quoted as saying in the statement.
FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for Covid violations, rioting and damage to public property among others, police said.
(With agency inputs)