Interns at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SSMCH) yesterday blocked the Mirpur Road in front of the hospital in the capital for about an hour, demanding return of a fellow allegedly abducted from the hospital compound on Friday.

The protest created a long tailback causing misery to commuters, said roadside shop owners. The interns said they also stopped carrying out their duties at the emergency and outdoor units of the hospital for about two hours.

They stopped demonstrating after the hospital authorities assured them of taking necessary steps in this regard.

Meanwhile, interns at Comilla Medical College Hospital begin an indefinite strike protesting assault on some of their colleagues by relatives of a patient. Police detained four persons in connection with the incident.

In the capital, several interns alleged their colleague Shamim Khan Topu, 26, was abducted by four to five men. 

An intern, Ashique, told The Daily Star that someone called Topu over phone on Friday and told him that they accidentally sent Tk 200 to his phone and requested that he return the money.        

He agreed and arranged a meeting on the college campus, said Ashique. 

Quoting a student who claimed to witness the incident, Ashique said the abductors forced Topu into a microbus and then drove towards the direction of Asad Gate.  

They even found Topu's cell phone on yesterday morning for a while. Later, it was switched off, he further said.

Prof Uttam Kumar Barua, director of the hospital, said they filed a general diary with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station and informed the matter to Rapid Action Battalion and Detective Branch (DB) of Police.

Contacted, Sub-Inspector Nazmul Hassan of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, who is investigating the incident, said they were trying to locate the intern.

In Comilla, witnesses said Sabuj Bhuiyan, who has been receiving treatment at the casualty unit, verbally abused a female intern who went for a regular visit Friday night.

Learning about the matter, her colleagues Imtiaz Abid, Nesarul Haque Khadem and Abdul Hannan protested the incident. They had an altercation with Sabuj who called his relatives -- Sajib, Nazmul and Rajon -- over phone. 

Together they beat up the interns, the interns said. On information, police detained Sabuj and his relatives. 

Later, the interns started observing work abstention demanding exemplary punishment for the attackers and a police camp on the hospital premises.