Kanpur:
The Uttar Pradesh government has failed to placate the thousands of doctors who are on strike to protest the attack and arrest of their colleagues in Kanpur last week after clashes with a Samajawadi Party MLA. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav held talks with the doctors on Tuesday and promised to take action against the MLA "if found guilty". The Allahabad High Court has now stepped in and asked the government to expeditiously carry out a judicial probe into the entire incident in three weeks.
Here are the top 10 developments in the story:
Medical services are crippled because of the strike which is now in its fifth day. "My mother is admitted here, but doctors are not visiting the patients. I think I should take her back," said Ghanshyam, a resident of Kanpur.
37 patients have so far died across the state due to lack of treatment.
But the striking doctors have refused to budge demanding action against Samajwadi Party legislator Irfan Solanki. 200 government doctors resigned in Agra yesterday, in solidarity with their colleagues in Kanpur. (Read more)
On Friday night, Mr Solanki and his supporters allegedly accused doctors at Kanpur's Halet hospital of mistreating a patient. In the violence that erupted, the police used batons. 24 doctors were arrested. Their colleagues point out that no action was taken against the politician and his supporters.
The arrested doctors were granted bail on Monday morning, but reportedly refused to leave the prison until their demands were met. Government officials say the cases against them cannot be withdrawn till the investigation is completed.
The effect of doctors' protest also reached Delhi where a candle light march was held in the premises of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS on Monday. Around 400 doctors participated in the march.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) described the incident as a "highly condemnable and shameful act" and gave an ultimatum of 48 hours for their demands to be met. They also submitted a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Mr Solanki has, meanwhile, said he would "resign" if any evidence is found against him.
Doctors on strike have also demanded the removal of Kanpur's Senior Superintendent of Police, Yashaswi Yadav, for ordering the police crackdown on their comrades.
Yashaswi Yadav has justified the police action, saying the doctors were vandalising the Samajwadi Party legislator's car. "Yes, we beat up the doctors, that was the need of the hour. Had the police not intervened there would have been rioting," he told NDTV. But protesters say to please the Samajwadi Party, the police registered fake cases against the doctors.
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