Pune: The indefinite hunger strike led by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi activist Dadasaheb Gaikwad outside Pune's Sassoon Hospital has entered its eighth day.

The protest, which demands accountability for unclaimed patients within the hospital, took a critical turn on Monday (August 12) when the hospital's Dean, Eknath Pawar, attempted to mediate but was met with tough questions from Gaikwad.

On the eighth day of the strike, Dean Eknath Pawar and Superintendent Yellappa Jadhav visited the protest site to persuade Gaikwad to end his hunger strike.

During the interaction, Gaikwad posed several questions to Pawar, leaving him speechless. Gaikwad asked Pawar to simply state the number of wards in the hospital, to which Pawar could not respond.

Gaikwad then questioned how Pawar, as the Dean, could enforce actions against others when he was unaware of basic details about the hospital. He also pointed out that Pawar had no knowledge of the number of missing or admitted patients.

Gaikwad has demanded action against Eknath Pawar and Yellappa Jadhav, alleging that a large racket is operating within Sassoon Hospital. He also accused Pawar of shielding Jadhav and failing to provide a written response to his demands.

Two doctors from Sassoon Hospital including Dr. Aadi Kumar, a Junior Resident in the Orthopedics Department, were suspended and a criminal case filed against them the Yerawada Police Station.

The doctors were allegedly found abandoning destitute patients from Sassoon Hospital at unknown locations. This distressing practice was uncovered through a sting operation conducted by activists Ritesh Gaikwad and Dadasaheb Gaikwad.