Hundreds of patients who visited the outpatient departments (OPDs) at the Raiganj Government Medical College & Hospital (RGMCH) on Saturday could not meet doctors as junior doctors at the state-run health establishment continued their sit-in for the second day, demanding the arrest of a woman Trinamool Congress leader.

The facility has around 125 junior doctors, none of whom joined duties on Saturday. The OPDs remained vacant and patients had to return. Around 550 patients visit the OPDs every day, said sources.

On Friday night, the junior doctors clashed with a group of people over the treatment of a minor boy. Some junior doctors were injured in the clash.

Police arrested two persons who were allegedly involved in the clash.

The junior doctors went on with their agitation, demanding that the police also arrest Chaitali Ghosh, the North Dinajpur district president of the Trinamool Mahila Congress. The doctors said Chaitali had orchestrated the attack on them.

District TMC leaders suspect that the protesters were “politically instigated”.

Kanaialal Agarwala, the district TMC president, said: “The junior doctors have no authority to demand the arrest of a particular person. We suspect that some people with political interests are provoking the junior doctors so that the impasse at the medical college continues ahead of the Raiganj Assembly byelection,” added Agarwala.

Later on Saturday, Chaitali surrendered in a local court which granted bail to her. The two, who were arrested on Friday, also got bail.