Doctors and students at PAHS, who are on the warpath demanding VC Bhandari´s resignation, have kept her office padlocked and clashed with police, who tried to unlock the office on Wednesday evening. [break]
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had formed a three-member committee on December 6 to look into the issues raised by the agitating doctors and students at PAHS. This led to VC Bhandari´s suspension.
Three days later, the SC, responding to a writ petition filed by Bhandari, stayed her suspension and issued a show-cause notice to the government over the latter´s decision.
However, with PAHS doctors and students continuing with their protests, VC Bhandari has been unable to attend to her work despite the SC stay order.
“There is no point trying to go to my office,” said Bhandari. “They (agitating doctors) do not listen to my arguments and do not allow me to enter my office.”
She added, “I will now present my arguments only before the court.” The SC is to issue its final verdict on the PAHS agitations, on December 18.
The PAHS doctors and students continued with their sit-in protest on Friday. Lila Raj Acharya, one of the agitating employees at PAHS, says, “We had to launch the sit-in after the administration forcibly opened the padlocked office.”
On Thursday, the PAHS doctors and students had again padlocked VC Bhandari´s office, which was unlocked a day before.
Acharya said that the action committee formed by the agitating employees has also decided to continue a sit-in until the SC delivers its final verdict.
The PAHS doctors and students have been up in arms after VC Bhandari appointed Dr Saumya Bhattacharya as rector of PAHS. They have been demanding an end to political interference at the hospital.
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