Srinagar, Sep 8: MBBS and BDS intern doctors across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday intensified their agitation by beginning a 48-hour hunger strike, demanding an increase in their monthly stipend from the existing Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000.
The interns, who have been on strike for more than a week, said they were forced to intensify the protest after repeated discussions with the government failed to result in a formal written order on the proposed stipend enhancement.
“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 protesting doctors maintained that the agitation had no political agenda and that they were neither affiliated with nor acting at the behest of any political party. They said their demand was based on extended working hours, emergency duties, workload and rising living expenses.
The interns have sought a formal and prospective government order by September 15, saying verbal assurances were no longer sufficient after the matter remained pending for several years.
Dr Faraz, one of the protesting interns, said the doctors had already waited long enough for action from the government.
“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.
He said two to three interns from each participating college had volunteered to take part in the hunger strike as part of efforts to maintain 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,” Faraz said.
He added that assurances that the issue could be resolved in another month or two were unlikely to satisfy the protesting interns.
Another intern, Dr Musharaf, said negotiations with the government were continuing, but a final resolution had yet to emerge.
“Our subsequent dialogue will continue moving forward, so we will not say that it has entirely failed,” he said.
Musharaf said the interns had decided to undertake the 48-hour hunger strike for now and would determine their next course of action based on developments during the period.
The interns also alleged that some college administrations had attempted to pressure or intimidate them into withdrawing from the agitation. They said they would continue to pursue what they described as a legitimate demand.
The protesting doctors appealed to political parties and other stakeholders not to politicise the issue, while urging the government to avoid pressure tactics and engage with their representatives through constructive dialogue.
They said they remained open to negotiations and hoped the matter could be resolved amicably through the issuance of a written executive order.
Meanwhile, health activist and AIMSA President J&K Dr Mohammad Momin Khan urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally intervene and facilitate an early resolution to the dispute.
