Anti-reservation stir intensifies in HP

Shimla, May 18 (UNI) The anti-reservation stir in Himachal Pradesh intensified today with resident doctors of Dr Rajinder Prasad Medical College, Tanda in Kangra district, joining the strike resident doctors association of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla deciding to strike work from tomorrow.

Dental college and ayurvedic college students have joined the agitation led by medical college students who are opposing the proposed reservation for OBC in the central educational institutions and even the Himachal Medical Officers Association has announced to go on one-day strike on May 25.

The OPD services were badly hit at Tanda Medical College as resident doctors went on strike from today, while the resident doctors association of the IGMC warning that emergency services would also be closed from May 22 if their demands were not met.

The Ayurvedic Medical Officers Association has also opposed reservations for OBC and demanded that reservations, if any, should be on the basis of economic backwardness.

Secretary of the Association Virinder Kaul said they were seriously concerned over the situation created by the agitation and condemned police baton charge on the striking doctors at Mumbai and Delhi.

He said the provision of reservation was against the right of equality and caste-based reservations would only lead to social divide and tensions.

Fifty per cent of the seats reserved for SCs and STs remained vacant in various medical and engineering colleges and 25 per cent of these students dropped out mid way, he said, adding that the ayurvedic medical officers would also join the 'all India medical bandh' on May 25.

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