Doctors perform yajnas to protest reservation

Jaipur, May 20 (UNI) Continuing their indefinite strike, resident doctors here are conducting yajnas today to protest the proposed 27 percent reservation in higher educational institutes.

Medical students in Jaipur, Bikaner and many other cities of the state are continuing their agitation by holding demonstrations and taking out protest rallies. They are also conducting yajnas today in the hope that the Centre would get wiser and refrain from inducting quotas in higher educational institutes.

Resident doctors here performed the yajna for wisdom at their hostel and also burnt a effigy of Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh at the busy Collectorate Circle.

Dr Rasshin Kataria, president, Youth for Equality, Jaipur Chapter said, ''Since the medical officers have also joined the strike, all of us today met the principal of Sawai Manshingh College to work out a strategy to help patients.'' He said it has been decided to run a parallel Out Patient Department (OPD) outside the hospital so that patients do not suffer. The doctors and students are to hold a candle light march today evening. Their door-to door campaign in major localities to garner support for their cause is alo continuing.

A delegation of doctors from Jaipur and Ajmer have gone to Delhi today to take part in the maha rally.

Meanwhile, students of Sardar Patel Medical College in Bikaner are also holding yajnas. Yesterday, the resident doctors started relay hunger strikes, which are continuing. A candle light march was also held by students, their teachers and even engineering college students yesterday.

A rally in support of reservation was also taken out in Bikaner, which comprised students of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, OBC students of Sardar Patel Medical College. The rally was led by Dr B S Meena. They handed over a memorandum to District Collector, which termed the protests against reservation unconstitutional.

The medical college in Bikaner has 175 resident doctors, out which 119 are on strike. Medical services have been hit hard by the strike. Specialists and senior doctors have been asked to be prepared for 24 hours duty.

Although doctors in Ajmer are not on indefinite strike, they are carrying on thier protests.

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