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More medicos join hunger strike

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Five more medicos on Saturday joined the indefinite hunger strike called by resident doctors of the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) here.

The number of Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) members who are on a hunger strike -- renamed "satyagraha" after their general body meeting on Saturday -- has gone up to 25.

The medicos began their protest on Thursday night after the Lok Sabha passed the Bill providing 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes in institutes of higher learning.

"We have decided to continue our protest. But instead of `hunger strike' we are calling it `satyagraha' because we have not struck work. We have not disrupted any work and everything is functioning normally," said RDA president Kumar Harsh.

He claimed that the medicos had received support from other universities and institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University; Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; Sawai Maan Singh Medical College, Jaipur; and Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh.

"IIT Kanpur and Sawai Maan Singh College have launched `satyagrahas' on their respective campuses. The other colleges will also take some action soon," Dr. Harsh added.

Meanwhile, all important services operated normally at the Institute on Saturday.

Pro-quota group

stages rally

Meanwhile, several pro-reservation groups staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here on Saturday to counter the indefinite hunger strike called by AIIMS resident doctors. They demanded implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservations in Admission) Bill, 2006, at one go.

Addressing the gathering, Indian Justice Party president Udit Raj said: "Reservation for the Other Backward Classes will help in building harmony between various sections of society. The number of seats in government-aided educational institutions, where 27 per cent reservation will be implemented, will be increased and there will be no change in the number of seats available for the general category students. Then why are the doctors protesting?" Dr. Raj said instead of a phased implementation of the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in institutes of higher learning, the Government should go ahead and do it at one go.

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