Students continue with strike, Resident Docs remain on mass CL

New Delhi, Aug 25: Students of three medical colleges continued with their strike and resident doctors from AIIMS and MAMC also remained on mass casual leave for the second day today in protest against the Centre's decision to implement the OBC quota.

Anti-reservationists, including students of medical colleges, IIT, Delhi University, JNU, IP University, and resident doctors from across the city will march towards Parliament where the OBC quota bill is likely to be tabled today.

The march will start from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) and will wind its way through Jantar Mantar.

Heavy police deployment has been made along the route.

''We will try and persuade the government not to table the bill till our concerns are addressed and do everythimg possible to achieve that,'' AIIMS RDA General Secretary and Youth for Equality leader Dr Arnab Kumar said.

He said the students will try and demonstrate in a peaceful manner.

Essential services in AIIMS yesterday functioned normally. But OPD services were affected with patients having to wait in long queues for their turn.

Out of the resident doctors on mass leave in AIIMS, 300 will remain in the institute to attend the patients.''We do not want to cause any inconvinience to the patients and that is why 300 resident doctors will remain in the institute and attend patients if required.'' Several anti-reservation protestors were injured and scores detained during a demonstration in the capital yesterday as police used water cannon and teargas to stop them from marching towards the Supreme Court.

Police used water cannon and teargas shells to disperse scores of demonstrators as they were trying to form a ''human chain'' near the court and submit a memorandum to the court registrar.

Angry students and residents doctors, raising anti-government, anti-reservation and anti-Arjun Singh slogans and carrying flags and placards, held demonstrations near India Gate against the Government's move to implement OBC quota in institutes of higher education.

While the protestors, wearing black arm bands, were trying to move towards the Supreme Court, where prohibitory orders are in place, Rapid Action Force and Delhi police stopped them.

The medicos are back on the streets in protest over the same issue within almost three months of the 20-day strike in May when the Supreme Court had asked them to call off their agitation.

The government had assured them that their concerns regarding OBC reservation will be addressed.

The angry medical students and few resident doctors, from all medical colleges across the city, sought details from the government on the implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in higher educational institutes.

UNI

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