The spokesperson for the Junior Doctors’ Association said, “We are in the process of forming a committee of the association. We have started the strike from today and refrained from performing our duties.”

He added, “We are also deciding upon the strategy to keep our protest at the same level at which protests are being carried out in other cities.”

The stipend that a medical degree student receives is Rs 9,633 per month, while a diploma holder receives Rs 5,858. According to a member of the doctors’ association, in response to a similar protest carried out by the doctors in 2007, the state government had promised a 19-per cent increment in the stipend, but no increase has been made so far.