Senior resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday extended support to the Director P Venugopal in the tiff with Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss.

Venugopal joined duty on Saturday morning after an extended holiday.

Ramadoss had removed Venugopal's personal staff on the grounds that he had lent tacit support to the striking doctors during the reservation ruckus.

Doctors called off their protest against the new reservation policy to be adopted in all the medical and technical institutes of the country from July next year only after the Supreme Court intervened.

Venugopal had threatened to resign in protest and the minister in turn said that he was welcome to do so.

President of the Senior Resident Doctors Association Dr Binod Patra denied that the AIIMS director had lent the striking doctors support.

"I was the one who was dealing with him and he used to call me on phone or personally and threaten me with serious consequences if we did not call off the agitation. He in fact was actively opposing the agitation," Patra told rediff.com.

He justified Dr Venugopal's protest and said that though the health minister did have a right to ask questions to the director and pass orders wherever necessary, it is too much for anyone to interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the premier medical institute.

"Dr Venugopal is a competent administrator and a good doctor. We would lend our support to him," Patra said.

The matter is now pending before the Delhi high court and is likely to come up for hearing next week.