Medicos begin 48-hr hunger strike

Jammu Tawi, Sep 07: The agitation by MBBS and BDS intern doctors across Jammu and Kashmir intensified on Monday as protesting interns launched a 48-hour hunger strike, reiterating their demand for an enhancement in the monthly stipend from the existing Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000. The interns, who have been on strike for over a week, said the hunger strike was initiated after repeated rounds of discussions with the government failed to yield a formal written order on the proposed stipend enhancement. The protesting doctors said the agitation was completely apolitical, asserting that they were neither affiliated with nor acting at the behest of any political party. They said their sole objective was to secure a fair and long-pending revision of the stipend, citing extended working hours, emergency duties, workload and increasing living expenses. 'We are not against anyone, and this protest has nothing to do with politics. Our only demand is a written government order regarding the stipend hike,' an intern representative said. The interns have sought issuance of a formal and prospective government order by September 15, saying that verbal assurances are no longer sufficient after the issue has remained pending for several years. One of the protesting interns, Dr Faraz, said the interns had already waited for a considerable period for the government to act on the matter. 'Our strike is indefinite. It will not stop until we receive an official order. More than a week has passed since the strike began, and if the government takes an issue seriously, it should not take this long to issue an order,' he said. Dr Faraz said two to three interns from each participating college had volunteered to sit on the hunger strike as a means of mounting sustained but peaceful pressure on the authorities. 'The recommendation was made in 2023. Even if we assume that the government started taking the matter seriously only after the strike began, several days have passed, and there is still no order,' he said, adding that assurances of resolving the matter in another month or two were unlikely to satisfy the protesting interns. The interns also alleged that some college administrations had attempted to intimidate or pressure them against continuing their agitation. They maintained that they would not be deterred from pursuing what they described as their legitimate demand. Another intern, Dr Musharaf, said that although negotiations with the government had not completely failed, a final solution was yet to emerge. 'Our subsequent dialogue will continue moving forward, so we will not say that it has entirely failed,' he said, adding that the interns had decided to undertake a 48-hour hunger strike for now and would decide their subsequent course of action depending on developments. The interns appealed to political parties and other stakeholders to refrain from politicising their agitation. They urged the government to avoid any pressure tactics and instead engage with the representatives through constructive dialogue. The interns said they remained open to negotiations and hoped the issue could be resolved amicably through the issuance of a written executive order. Health activist and AIMSA President J&K Dr Mohammad Momin Khan urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally intervene in the matter and facilitate an early resolution, amid the intensification of the protest.