Doctors, Beaten and Harassed, Plan Silent Protest Across India

Doctors withdrew their plan to light candles in homes and hospitals across India, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government promised to ensure their safety against rising violence over fears medical staff are spreading the deadly coronavirus.

The Indian Medical Association had planned the silent protest for 9 p.m. on Wednesday, a stark parallel to Modi's own exercise a few days earlier, when he urged Indians to light lamps to honor and support doctors.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Modi's confidante, appealed to the IMA not to hold even a symbolic protest and assured them of safety and support. "He has assured that government of India will take all necessary steps and come out shortly with relevant legislations to address the safety and dignity of doctors and healthcare givers," the IMA said in a statement Wednesday.

Indian doctors over recent weeks have endured campaigns from their neighbors to force them out of apartment buildings, been attacked by a mob while tracing contacts of a coronavirus case through the slums, and have also been stopped by police and beaten with batons on the way back home from an emergency shift.

"IMA has maintained utmost restraint and patience inspite of extreme provocation," the IMA had previously said, while calling for the protest.

Source: Yahoo News