Historic Faculty March on Gandhi Jayanti Eve: AIIMS Doctors Demand Rotatory Headship, Barricaded en Route to PMO
In a poignant nod to Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, hundreds of faculty members from nearly all departments of AIIMS New Delhi staged a peaceful symbolic march on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, pressing for the long-overdue implementation of rotatory headship in premier medical institutes.The protest, organized by the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIMS) and FA-PGIMER, sought to deliver a direct appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ultimate overseer of AIIMS and other National Institutes of Importance.
Starting from the JLN Auditorium at AIIMS, the procession aimed to reach the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) via Gate No. 1, embodying the spirit of Gandhi’s Dandi March in the quest for “truth and justice.”However, the march was halted by heavy police barricades and personnel stationed outside Gate No. 1.
Faculty representatives repeatedly and courteously requested passage but were firmly denied, confining the demonstrators to the institute’s perimeter.Undeterred, the gathering outside the gate unanimously resolved to escalate their movement.
The next phase—a larger peaceful protest—will convene at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, with the date to be announced soon. Organizers plan to rally faculty associations from medical colleges nationwide, framing it as a “national movement for institutional democracy and fairness.
“The demand centers on rotatory headship, a policy approved by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) nearly two years ago but yet to be enforced at AIIMS and PGIMER. Faculty leaders emphasized their unwavering commitment to transparency in governance, rotation-based leadership, and egalitarian, democratic operations in these institutes.This latest action builds on a two-year campaign of non-violent protests, including black ribbon and T-shirt campaigns, relay hunger strikes, Doctors’ Day demonstrations, and a prior foot march to Parliament. Despite these disciplined efforts, the associations claim repeated denials at every turn.In a heartfelt plea, the faculty urged Prime Minister Modi to intervene swiftly, stressing that their cause is “not for personal gain but for fairness and democracy at our premier institutes.”
They also called on Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who serves as AIIMS New Delhi’s President, to enforce the pending MoHFW decision without further delay. As India honors Gandhi’s principles of satyagraha tomorrow, this faculty uprising underscores growing calls for accountable leadership in healthcare education, with eyes now on Jantar Mantar for the next chapter.
