Rajas Students Locked out of VIMSAR Campus Again

SAMBALPUR: Students of VIMSAR once again locked the main gate of the institution here on Monday preventing their counterparts of Sardar Rajas Medical College (SRMC) from entering the premises.

Officials of VIMSAR, though, facilitated submission of seat allotment letter by SRMC students for their relocation to VIMSAR through another gate. Learning about it, VIMSAR students gheraoed the quarters of Principal  Santosh Behera. They sought clarification from Behera over receipt of allotment letters. They were pacified after the Principal impressed upon them that SRMC students cannot be allotted seats till certificate verification and other formalities are over.

Students of VIMSAR have been opposing the High Court directive to accommodate students of SRMC in the medical college citing lack of faculty members and infrastructure.

VIMSAR students’ union president Jayshankar Mishra said they will continue their protest against direction of the High Court to accommodate 54 students of SRMC in VIMSAR. He said the main gate will remain locked till December 30 and they will continue to disrupt admission process. Explaining that VIMSAR has dearth of both teaching staff and infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratory, medical equipment and hostels, he said the increase in the number of students will mount pressure on the available resources and ultimately the students will suffer.

On Saturday, VIMSAR students locked the main gate of the institution denying entry to the SRMC students who had come to submit their seat allotment letters. As a result, the authorities had to postpone their reporting to Monday. SRMC students said they had been directed to report at VIMSAR between December 24 and 30.

Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the Supreme Court. VIMSAR students had moved the Supreme Court over the issue after being let down by the Orissa High Court. The apex court will hear the case on January 5.