ROURKELA: Medical students of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital of 2015-16 batch here resorted to polishing shoes as a mark of protest, after their admission was declared invalid. They held the protest inside the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) campus to draw attention on Monday.
In fact, 100 medical students of 2015-16 batch of the medical college are on agitation from Thursday. They started relay hunger strike from Sunday. The students alleged that they are suffering due to the ongoing tussle between the Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital management, Medical Council of India and Government of Odisha.
Sources in Hi-Tech Medical College said before admission to the 2015-16 academic session, an MCI team citing infrastructure shortcomings banned the medical college from conducting admission. However, the management moved the Orissa High Court with the plea that the shortcomings were removed and the court asked the MCI to allow admission. By the time MCI granted permission, the counselling process of the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) was over.
However, the management floated advertisements in newspapers for admission and through its own entrance exam, admitted these students in 2015-16 session, which was challenged by the MCI in the Supreme Court (SC) and the Odisha Government also followed suit.
Following Government’s instruction, the Sambalpur University has also refused to provide registration numbers to these students and barred them from appearing the university examination.
While a review petition filed by the management at the SC is pending, another petition filed by the guardians of the students in the apex court for relief was rejected recently.
The agitating students - A Sahoo, Subham Agarwal, Sony Jaiswal, Sourav Modi and others - said they are staring at a bleak future for no fault of theirs. Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital Registrar SS Ahemad refused to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, former Rourkela MLA Pravat Mohapatra has sought intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to save the future of the students and take over the medical college & hospital.