Following court directions and Opposition's appeal, junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh on Friday decided to partially withdraw their agitation across the state from Sunday but strike will continue at Niloufer hospital where legislator Afsar Khan had allegedly attacked the medicos.
Except at Niloufer government children's hospital in Hyderabad, the medicos will resume their services at emergency wards in all government hospitals in the state, AP Junior Doctors' Association president G Raju said.
"Our members will resume their duties from 8 am on Sunday at emergency wards except at Niloufer," Raju told PTI.
Earlier, at an all-party meeting, organised by the striking doctors, the opposition parties urged them to call off their seven-day old strike in view of the hardship faced by the patients.
The parties assured the agitators of their co-operation in ensuring that action was taken against those responsible for the December 2 attack.
The doctors have been on the warpath, demanding arrest of Khan, who represents Karwan constituency in the city, under non-bailable charges, his suspension from the assembly and bringing in an ordinance for protection of doctors on duty.
The High Court and the state Human Rights Commission had on Friday directed the medicos to call off their agitation and resolve the problems through dialogue.
Meanwhile, following a direction from a city court, the police on Saturday registered a criminal case against Khan and 29 others for allegedly attacking the doctors.
The case was booked at Nampally police station under section 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or use of criminal force against women to outrage their modesty), 448 (trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (gesture or act intended to insult a woman's modesty) of IPC.
"We have taken up the investigation and will collect the evidence in this regard," Central Zone DCP Mohd Iqbal said, adding that inquiry report would be submitted to the court on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice Subhashan Reddy concluded the inquiry into the incident after hearing the versions given by junior doctors and Niloufer RMO Usha Rani.
However, the MLA did not turn up even on the second day of the inquiry, claiming that he did not receive the notice sent by the Commission. The Commission has again sent a fresh notice to the legislator on Saturday evening. While sympathising with the cause of the agitators, the chairman, however, counselled restraint and said appropriate orders would be issued as per the procedures.
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