But decides to continue wearing black badges
Encouraged by some favourable steps taken by the State Government towards their demands, the agitating Junior Doctors of the SCB Medical College Hospital here on Wednesday decided to postpone their cease-work stir that was scheduled to begin from Thursday.
“However, we would continue to wear black badges until our demands of arrest and suspension of Dr Seetaram Mohapatra is fulfilled”, said the Junior Doctor Association (JDA) president Dr A R Dash after attending the general body meeting of the Association here.
The State Government on Tuesday had shunted the Pathology Department Professor of the teaching hospital and attached him to the Health Department in Bhubaneswar as over ten women junior doctors of the SCB had brought sexual torture and intimidation allegations against him.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress made so far by the probe panel into the allegations made against the tainted Professor, the general body of the JDA on the day passed a unanimous resolution declaring that they would suspend their cease-work stir for the time being and wait for the probe panel to submit its report.
However, in order to keep the powder dry, the Junior Doctors would continue to wear black badges as they have been doing so since Monday. Meanwhile, the probe panel formed as per the Rules of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013 is probing into the allegations of the Junior Doctors in accordance to the Visakha Guidelines made by the Supreme Court.
The accused Professor has already been issued with two summon notices by the panel but he has not turned up yet before the panel. It is learnt that the panel would serve the last summon notice on Saturday.
“If still the accused fails to turn up, the panel would submit its report with appropriate recommendations”, a source said.