One of the two junior doctors who have been on a fast-unto-death strike at the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital claimed on Friday that phone calls were made to his family in Uttar Pradesh by Bengal police so that the family urged the doctor to withdraw the fast.

Alok Kumar Verma, a first-year postgraduate student in psychiatry at NBMCH, who continued his fast for the fifth day, said: “My mother called me up and said she has received phone calls from Bengal police. The police told her that my physical condition was deteriorating and she should request me to withdraw the strike.”

“I have no idea how they got the contact number of my family and suspect it to be yet another plan to exert pressure on us and other junior doctors who are on hunger strike in Calcutta. I have told my mother that I will continue the hunger strike and there is no question of listening to them,” Alok told the media.

Senior officers of Siliguri Metropolitan Police declined comments.

Since Monday, he has been on an indefinite hunger strike with Souvik Banerjee, an intern at the North Bengal Dental College & Hospital.

On Friday, senior doctors examined them and said their health conditions were deteriorating.

“As they have tested positive for ketone body (which dissolves fat, the basic energy source of cells, instead of glucose when a person is into prolonged fasting), there can be further negative impacts like organ damage. That is why we have requested them to at least consume ORS (oral rehydration solution),” said Dipanjan Bandyopadhyay, a senior professor at the NBMCH.