IMA and doctors at DMCH observe 'black badge day'

Ludhiana, March 6, 2014: Doctors of DMCH today observed a 'black badge day' as a gesture to support the strike called by Indian Medical Association (IMA) against the alleged high-handedness of city police and administration in physically manhandling doctors at a medical college in Kanpur. OPD Services also remained closed in DMCH. The medicos held protest after their colleagues at GSVM Medical College were allegedly beaten up by Kanpur police and supporters of SP MLA Irfan Solanki on February 28 following an altercation with him.
The office bearers of IMA and Punjab Medical Council (PMC) including Dr Manoj Sobti (President, IMA Punjab), Dr RK Sharma (President, IMA Ludhiana), Dr Navjit Kaur (Sr. Vice President, IMA Ludhiana), Dr Deepak Prashar (Secretary, IMA Ludhiana), Dr Arun Mitra, Dr Sunil Katyal and Dr Kulwant Singh addressed the protesting medicos. They all described the incident as a "highly condemnable and shameful act". Dr Sanjeev Uppal (Professor & Head of Plastic Surgery) said that the strike was called by IMA to condemn the violence at Kanpur. IMA members demanded that the prevention of violence against doctors should be implemented effectively in Punjab. Principal Dr Daljit Singh also addressed the protesting medicos and said that use of excessive force on Kanpur Medicos and brutal behavior of Kanpur Police is condemnable. He added that all medicos should unite to protest such undemocratic incidences.
All the faculty and resident doctors of DMCH were seen wearing black badges to express solidarity with the doctors in strike and also to oppose such kind of untoward incidents in future.
In an official release issued today IMA said," Assault on doctors is highly condemnable and shameful act by miscreants of the society who under the garb of emotion and sentiments torture doctors and ransack the property of the medical establishments."