Health services in many parts of Uttar Pradesh were Sunday crippled following protests by doctors who stopped work in solidarity with a strike called by junior doctors in Kanpur. At least 13 patients have succumbed in Kanpur as medical aid was not available in view of the agitation, reports said.
Demanding release of three dozen Kanpur doctors arrested Friday and action against Kanpur Senior Superintendent of Police Yashaswi Yadav, junior doctors at King Georges Medical University, Gorakhpur Medical College, S.N. Medical College in Agra and at many other places joined the protest.
Reports said the strike has claimed 13 lives in Kanpur alone, with doctors shutting down all emergency services and out-patient departments.
Kanpur District Magistrate Roshan Jacob has ordered a magisterial probe into Friday's incident, and asked for a report within a fortnight.
Angry at the brutal baton-charge in which many doctors and journalists were injured, Provincial Medical Service (PMS) doctors said they would also join the protests if action was not taken against police within three days and the jailed doctors released.
Bhupesh Awasthi, vice president of the Rajya Karmachari Sangh, a group of 18 lakh state government employees, told IANS that they will soon strike work across the state.
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"We will not allow such hooliganism by Samajwadi Party legislators," he said, referring to the initial scuffle between Kanpur legislator Irfan Solanki and junior doctors at Hallet hospital late Friday which snowballed into a controversy.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Rajnath Singh brought up the issue at the Vijay Shankhnad rally of the party in Lucknow.
He sought an end to the "hooliganism" by leaders of the ruling Samajwadi Party.
Mentioning the Kanpur incident, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said people should see for themselves what Samajwadi Party leaders were doing.
He also asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to take note of the behaviour of his party leaders.
Supporters of Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki Friday clashed with junior doctors of the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College Hospital in Kanpur resulting in injuries to several people, including the legislator, police said.
Following the unruly scenes, the police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The incident left several people, including police personnel, journalists and many civilians injured.