Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi went on an indefinite strike on Thursday after the attendants of a patient brutally beat up two of their colleagues, ANI reported. The patient, a 40-year-old man suffering from chronic liver disease, had died during treatment.

The doctors also refused to attend to emergency services and demanded security at the workplace.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association supported the strike, News18 reported. “There has been a brutal attack on two on-duty resident doctors after the death of a patient diagnosed with chronic alcoholic liver disease and other medical issues as well,” the association’s member Prakash Thakur said.

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Thakur said a group of around 10 people attacked the two doctors in Ward No 12 of the hospital. The victims sustained injuries to their face, head, back, abdomen and limbs. “To this horrendous and heinous attack, threatening the safety and security of resident doctors, the RDA calls for an indefinite strike, including emergency services with effect from Thursday evening,” he added.

The resident doctors at the hospital held a late-night meeting on Thursday with officials of the Ministry of Health. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan had said earlier this month that the government has finalised draft legislation that provides for punishment of up to 10 years in prison for people who assault doctors on duty.

In June, over 100 doctors working at state-run hospitals in West Bengal resigned, amid country-wide protests against the assault on two interns at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The doctors had been seriously wounded in the mob attack, which took place after a patient died the previous day. The matter was resolved when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to the doctors’ demands for security and a safe working environment, among others.

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