Bhopal, Aug 2 (IANS) A staggering 12,500 junior doctors of five medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh who were into their fifth day of a strike Saturday, called off their agitation on the orders of the high court - and then resigned en masse. The doctors were striking work demanding enhanced stipends and lowering of tution fees on the lines of those in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

However, the Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court Friday declared their strike illegal and asked them to return to work.

“Respecting the court orders, we first joined our duties and then resigned en masse,” Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association president Jeevan Singh Meena told IANS.

“The government accepted the demand for enhancing stipend by Rs.2,000 but did not clarify when the hike will be effected,” said Meena.

He claimed that the physicians did not want to be on strike as such a step affected health services but were forced due to the adamant attitude of the government.

Health services in hospitals attached with the medical colleges at Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Rewa remained crippled due to the strike.