Commuters, including officegoers and passengers, breathed a sigh of relief as lawyers ended their two-day sit-in near Eklavya crossing on Friday, allowing normal vehicular movement to resume on Prayagraj's busiest route. The protest had caused major traffic jams and the closure of the high court flyover on Wednesday and Thursday.
Background of the Protest
The demonstration followed clashes between attendants of a woman lawyer and medicos at SRN hospital campus on Wednesday morning. The incident led to a standoff between lawyers and doctors, with both groups refusing to back down despite mediation attempts by district authorities.
Doctors Call Off Strike
Resident doctors also called off their protest and returned to duties at SRN hospital on Friday afternoon, bringing relief to patients from the city and neighboring districts. The Medical Teachers Association (MTA) of MLN Medical College decided to end the junior doctors' strike, citing the persisting heatwave and patient problems.
Suspension of Resident Doctors
Dr. VK Pandey, principal of MLN Medical College, suspended 20 resident doctors from surgery unit-II and orthopaedic unit-II of SRN hospital on charges of dereliction of duties. The action was based on a probe committee's report into the Wednesday incident.
Senior lawyer and ex-HCBA vice president Vishnu Kumar Pandey told TOI, "Lawyers called off their agitation after authorities suspended the resident doctors. We had been demanding action against the errant hospital doctors and staff accused of misbehaving with a woman lawyer patient and assaulting a woman lawyer."
MTA's Stance
MTA secretary Dr. Santosh Singh confirmed that all junior doctors had resumed duties and medical facilities were running smoothly. However, he warned that the MTA would not tolerate one-sided or inappropriate action against junior doctors by police or administration and demanded an impartial and fair probe into the incident.
The tussle between doctors and lawyers, which began after the clashes, had led to junior doctors boycotting work and lawyers staging a protest, forcing police to suspend vehicular movement on the high court flyover.
