Date:02/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/02/stories/2006060207761200.htm

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Medicos call off strike

Staff Reporter

JNU and IIT, Delhi, students continue relay hunger strike

NEW DELHI : Close on the heels of resident doctors, medical students in the capital protesting against the Centre's decision to bring in reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher education also called off their strike on Wednesday night. However, some students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, are continuing with their relay hunger strike.

The medical students held their general body meeting on Wednesday night following which they decided to call off their strike. AIIMS Students' Union vice-president Amol Raheja said the students felt that they also came within the purview of the Supreme Court directive, as their absence would have affected patient care.

Rejoin duty

On Thursday, the students joined their duty as interns in hospitals. However, they said they would continue to register their protest in different ways. Resident doctors and students wore black badges while reporting for work on Thursday.

Task before them

A member of Youth for Equality (YFE) said creating awareness about the issue was one of the main tasks before them. "We would fan out to all parts of the Capital to highlight the issue and explain our stand," said an YFE member.

Students, under the banner of YFE, continued their relay hunger strike at JNU. A group of IIT-Delhi students are also on a relay hunger strike inside their campus. "Our friends have been on relay hunger strike for the past couple of days and this will go on," said Sanjeev Srivastava of the IIT chapter of YFE.

Protest demo

At Delhi University, Youth for Justice staged a protest demonstration near Khalsa College around 1 p.m. "We will get in touch with YFE soon to make it a more broad-based agitation," said Kapil Mishra of Youth for Justice. United Students, another forum agitating against the Government's decision, said it would explain its stand on the reservation issue to admission seekers at Delhi University.

On the other hand, the Medicos Forum for Equal Opportunities (MFEO) welcomed the decision of the doctors to call off their strike.

Forum charge

The MFEO said it seemed that the Government adopted a vacillating stand towards the strike to give Delhi citizens a taste of total commercialisation of health services. They alleged that the private hospitals abetted the strike in Government hospitals while keeping their own hospitals open. The Forum urged the Government to implement reservation at the earliest and also do the needful for rapid expansion of seats in higher education.

Court thanked

Thanking the apex court for exercising restraint in dealing with the strike by the doctors and students, the MFEO hoped that the same attitude would be adopted by the Court towards the democratic struggles of other sections of society.