NEET-PG Counselling: The ongoing protests by resident doctors over the delay in conducting the NEET-PG exam took a dramatic turn on Monday evening as medics and police personnel faced off in streets.
Alleging a "brutal" crackdown by the police force, the doctors declared a complete shutdown of healthcare services. Both doctors and the police claimed that several of their people were injured as they 'faced off'.
Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) that has been spearheading the protest claimed that many of its members were "detained" as they held a protest march from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court.
A large number of doctors also returned their apron (lab coat) to their respective hospitals as a symbolic gesture of discontinuing services. "We also tried to march from the campus of the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court, but soon after we had started it, security personnel did not allow us to proceed," FORDA President Manish told PTI.
The police has denied the claims and said that there was no lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.
FORDA released a statement on Monday that read: "black day in the history of the medical fraternity".
"Resident doctors, the so-called 'Corona Warriors', protesting peacefully to expedite NEET PG Counselling 2021 were brutally thrashed, dragged and detained by the police," it added.
"There will be complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions from today onwards," the statement said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Meena said that the protesters blocked BSZ Marg, the main road between ITO and Delhi gate that caused traffic. "They deliberately created nuisance on the main road and blocked both carriageways, causing hardship and harassment to commuters and general public," Meena said in a statement to PTI.
"After requesting them again to leave the road, they became aggressive and manhandled our personnel when efforts were made to detain them lawfully. Seven police personnel got injured while detaining them. They also broke the glass of police bus," he alleged.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared a video of the face-off between the doctors and police personnel and extended support to protesting doctors.
Later in the night, a large number of resident doctors gathered outside 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.