"Doctors are not indulged in any organised crime and they are not terrorists. So there is no need to book them (doctors) under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MOCCA). It will be unfair if doctors are booked under the MCOCA," district president of the Indian Medical Association Dr Kailas Paithankar told PTI.
Civil Surgeon (CS) Dr Gauri Rathod has suggested in her letter to the district collector that MCOCA should be invoked against doctors booked under female foeticide cases that came to the light in recent past.
"We came to know that Dr Rathod has asked the SP and Collector to register case against accused doctors under MOCCA. A delegation of around 200 doctors yesterday went to meet her, but she did not give us proper hearing. We have submitted a memorandum to district collector Sunil Kendrekar and SP Dattatrya Mandlik for not invoking MOCCA," Paithankar said.
The agitating doctors also submitted a petition in this regard to district guardian minister Jaydutta Kshirsagar yesterday, he added.
Dr Rathod has no right to seek registration of cases under MCOCA against doctors. The law will decide what is justifiable, said a private practitioner.
However, the civil surgeon has clarified that her letter was not intended to harass innocent doctors.
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"What I meant was that those guilty in female foeticide cases should be booked under MCOCA. Those with minor charges against them need not fear about law. I appeal to doctors to not cause inconvenience to common people and withdraw their strike," Dr Rathod told PTI.
Meanwhile, most of the private clinics and hospitals in the district remained closed in support of the strike.