Anti-reservation protests: strike continues

Lucknow, May 20 : Doctors, students, teachers and people from other sections of society today held a mass demonstration in Lucknow demanding immedate withdrawal of quota proposals for OBCs in higher education.

The protestors made a human chain in support of their demands near the UP Assembly, while a signature campaign has been launched against the proposed reservation.

Meanwhile, the strike in SGPGI today entered its second day, which has paralysed emergency and OPD service. Tomorrow, the SGPGI doctors, nurses and technical staffs would hold a demonstration in their campus.

Indian Medical Association (IMA), UP branch, has called for a day's protest in support of anti-reservation agitation with medical shops, private doctors and nursing homes keeping their shutters down in different parts of UP.

Addressing the protestors, Lucknow University Teachers Association (LUTA) President D P Tiwari blamed the politicians for the issue. ''The vote politics has ruined the system and the proposed reservation is aimed at appeasing a certain section of the society.'' SGPGI Resident Doctors Association President Amit Goel said here the protest would be withdrawn only if the Government recalled its proposal. ''Doctors will not compromise on any formula including the Government's proposal to increase the number of seats.'' ''With such meagre facilities in technical institutes and medical colleges, doubling of seats would certainly affect the quality of education in the country,'' he cautioned.

Dr Goel claimed they had approached the IIM, Lucknow and other medical and technical institutes of UP and received positive signals from them. ''We are demanding complete roll back of the proposal.'' Meanwhile functioning in other Government hospitals in UP was normal although in some cities like Allahabad, Varanasi, Meerut, Lakhimpur Kheri and Kanpur doctors staged protests against the new reservation policy.

UNI

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