NEET-PG 2021 Counselling Protest: Ongoing protests by medical residents over the delay in holding the NEET-PG exam took a dramatic turn on Monday evening as doctors and police clashed in the streets.
Alleging “brutal” repression of the police, the doctors decreed the complete closure of the health services. Doctors and police said several of their people were injured as they clashed.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Associations (FORDA), which spearheaded the protest, claimed that many of its members were “detained” while organizing a protest march from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) in the Supreme Court.
A large number of doctors also returned their aprons (lab coats) to their respective hospitals as a symbolic sign of stopping services. “We also tried to walk from the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) campus to the Supreme Court, but shortly after we started it, the security personnel did not allow us to continue,” said the president of FORDA Manish at PTI.
Police denied the allegations and said there had been no lathicharge or abusive language use on their part, and said 12 protesters were arrested and later released.
FORDA issued a statement on Monday which read: “Dark day in the history of the medical fraternity.”
“Resident doctors, the so-called ‘Corona Warriors’, who were peacefully protesting to speed up NEET PG 2021 council were brutally beaten, dragged, and detained by police,” he added.
“There will be a complete closure of all health facilities from today,” the statement said.
Deputy (Central) Police Commissioner Rohit Meena said protesters blocked BSZ Marg, the main road between ITO and Delhi Gate which caused traffic. “They deliberately created a nuisance on the main road and blocked both carriageways, causing hardship and harassment to commuters and the general public,” Meena said in a statement to PTI.
“After again asking them to get off the road, they became aggressive and manhandled our staff when efforts were made to detain them legally. Seven police officers were injured while in detention. They also broke the window of the bus. of the police, “he alleged.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared a video of the confrontation between doctors and police personnel and gave their support to the protesting doctors.
Later that night, a large number of medical residents gathered in front of the Sarojini Nagar police station.
The resident doctors are protesting over the delay in the NEET-PG counselling exam. As the exam is delayed, new batch of doctors is not able to begin services, thus adding more to the work-load of the doctors.
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