Junior Doctors on strike, MLA''s bodyguards in custody

Gaya/Patna, Jan 31 (PTI) Functioning of Medical Collegesand Hospitals across Bihar were badly hit today with juniordoctors proceeding on an indefinite strike since midnight evenas police took into custody both the bodyguards of RJD MLASurendra Prasad Yadav.

The two bodyguards allegedly fired at junior doctorsat Anugraha Narayan Medical College and Hospital in Gaya inwhich two interns were injured after a heated argument betweenthe medicos and the legislator over delay in treatment of apatient last night.

Surendra Prasad Yadav, a four-time MLA from BelaganjAssembly constituency in Gaya and Minister for Excise in theerstwhile Rabri Devi cabinet, had gone to AN Medical Collegeand Hospital here with a patient late last evening.

The MLA had an argument with the doctors over allegeddelay in attending to the patient whom they referred to PatnaMedical College and Hospital for treatment after whichbodyguards Abhinandan Yadav and Ashok Yadav had fired.

Dr S P Das from Assam and Dr Shahbuddin sustainedbullet injuries in their legs.

"We have placed both the police bodyguards undersuspension and taken them into custody in connection with thecase", Director General of Police Neelmani said in Patna.

Meanwhile, hundreds of junior doctors went on anindefinite strike severely paralysing work at the state-runMedical Colleges and Hospitals in Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga,Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur since midnight to protest againstthe incident.

"The functioning of the medical colleges and hospitalsis badly hit", official sources said.

The junior doctors have demanded adequate security forthem during duty hours and immediate arrest of Yadav. PTIAJKMM