Prayagraj SRN Hospital Clash: Lawyers, Junior Doctors Face Off as Medical Services Collapse and Traffic Chaos Grips Civil Lines

The region’s largest government hospital, Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, turned into a battleground on Wednesday after a dispute broke out between junior doctors and lawyers.

What began as an argument over the treatment of an injured woman advocate quickly spiralled into violence, disrupting medical services and paralysing traffic across the city.

According to reports, the confrontation started when lawyers brought an injured woman advocate to the hospital following a road accident.

An exchange of words with junior doctors allegedly escalated into physical violence. Soon, large numbers of advocates gathered at the hospital in protest, while junior doctors suspended medical services and assembled in support of their colleagues.

The unrest then spread beyond the hospital premises, as protesting lawyers blocked roads at the Head Post Office crossing in Civil Lines by placing barricades and staging a sit-in.

During the chaos, some protesters allegedly entered the Government Press campus and damaged vehicles and office property.

The situation became more tense when clashes reportedly broke out between protesters and police personnel. ACP Civil Lines, Vidyut Goyal, was among those injured during the scuffle.

As tensions mounted, police forces from several stations, along with PAC personnel and senior officials, were deployed to restore order.

Even by late evening, protests and road blockades at the Head Post Office crossing continued.

After an FIR was registered at Chowk police station against unidentified junior doctors, the advocates insisted on the arrest of the accused doctors.

They demanded the removal of the medical college principal. In response, the principal constituted a three-member committee to investigate the matter.

In her complaint to the police, High Court advocate Rasika Aneesh Khan, also known as Riya, stated that advocate Jagrati Shukla had met with a road accident around 5:30 am while travelling for cricket practice related to a women advocates’ tournament.

Fellow lawyers rushed her to SRN Hospital for treatment. The complaint alleges that some junior doctors were asleep at the time, and the situation deteriorated after they were woken up.

Lawyers accused the doctors of misbehaviour and assault.

Jagrati Shukla, along with three other injured advocates, was later admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

Junior doctors, however, have also filed a complaint accusing the lawyers of recording videos inside the hospital and attacking medical staff.

The fallout of the conflict severely affected public life. Medical services at SRN Hospital virtually collapsed for nearly ten hours, from 6 am to 4 pm.

OPD services, registration counters, and medicine distribution units remained shut, leaving patients from distant districts stranded without treatment.

Many were forced to return home without seeing a doctor.

At the same time, the lawyers’ road blockade caused massive traffic congestion across Civil Lines, stretching from the Government Press crossing to the High Court water tank flyover, causing immense inconvenience to commuters.

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association also demanded strict action against the accused junior doctors and warned the administration of further protests if action was not taken.

Confirming the developments, DCP City Manish Shandilya said that a case had been registered on the complaint of the woman advocate, additional police forces had been deployed in the area, and a legal investigation into the entire episode was underway.

Many people associated with the hospital believe that such incidents are not isolated.

A medical shop owner outside the medical college, speaking anonymously, said altercations between junior doctors and patients’ attendants occur regularly in wards and emergency units.

According to him, many attendants quietly tolerate rude behaviour or verbal abuse to avoid complications, but occasionally tensions flare when someone reacts, often leading to larger confrontations.

Several locals and hospital insiders also expressed concern over the repeated disruption of healthcare services whenever disputes occur.

A senior doctor at SRN Hospital admitted that while not every junior doctor behaves aggressively, each batch often includes a few individuals whose conduct damages the institution’s reputation and affects patient care.

He stressed that healthcare is an essential service and argued that shutting down treatment facilities harms ordinary people who depend on government hospitals for urgent medical care.

The doctor added that disagreements should be resolved through proper institutional mechanisms rather than strikes or violence.

He said hospital authorities and the administration must send a clear message that indiscipline, abuse, or disruption of essential services will not be tolerated from any side, whether doctors, attendants, or protesters.