Dr. DD Chaudhury from the IMA has confirmed that the Uttarakhand High Court bench is expected to address the matter on March 17, 2023. The protesting final year medical students of SGRRIMS, Dehradun had earlier expressed their objection to the sudden increase in fees and suspension of MBBS internships, and have been protesting since Monday. Dr. Chaudhury hopes that the issue will be resolved quickly for the sake of the students.
According to a protesting student from the 2018 batch, the management of SGRRIMS, Dehradun, has abruptly increased the fees from Rs 5 lakhs per annum to Rs 13 lakhs per annum, amounting to a 150 percent hike. State-quota students are required to pay Rs 26 lakhs, while management-quota students have been asked to pay Rs 37 lakhs. Additionally, the college management has halted the internships of final-year students, stating that internships will not begin until the students have cleared their dues. The protesting students plan to approach the High Court and file a plea regarding the issue.
The MBBS students who were peacefully protesting outside Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital were reportedly assaulted by some individuals. As a result, DGP Ashok Kumar instructed the Senior Superintendent of Police Dehradun Dalip Singh Kunwar to file a case against those responsible. One of the protesting MBBS students informed Edex Live about the incident and said that they had only occupied about 50 percent of the main entrance area, leaving enough space for the proper functioning of the college. Nonetheless, they were subjected to violence.
The members of IMA held a meeting with the protesting students, after which the students decided to call off their strike on March 15, as per media report. Dr. DD Chaudhury of IMA confirmed the news and mentioned that their intervention was necessary as the situation was becoming violent. He further stated that a case has been filed in the High Court, and in respect to that, the students were requested to temporarily halt their strike.
It is reported that the Uttarakhand High Court bench is scheduled to hear the plea filed by the MBBS students on March 17, 2023. Additionally, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has expressed its support for the students and condemned the recent violence they faced during their protest. FORDA also alleged the involvement of the administration in the incident and criticized the eviction of students from the hostel.
