NEW DELHI, 20 May 2006 — Continuing their anti-reservation agitation for the seventh day, the striking medicos began using mobile communication SMS yesterday to make the people aware about their protest and government’s approach toward the same.
One of the messages doing the rounds via mobiles in the capital city yesterday was: “In AIIMS, 96 hours 94 students collapsed. Please come out before it is too late. Media prohibited from entering. Please spread it (the message) like fire.”
Undeterred by termination letters being issued against striking doctors, faculty at AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) observed a day’s hunger strike yesterday, without striking work, in support of doctors and students on strike. “We are supporting the students and doctors and we want the government to listen to them,” said K.K. Handa, general secretary of Faculty Association.
With the government having accepted the hard fact that striking medicos are not going to backtrack on their demand for withdrawing reservations, it is considering options to please the protesters without changing its reservation quota. These include increasing seats in higher educational institutions to accommodate students from the reserved category without affecting those from the general category.
However, this option has its limitations. “It is impossible to increase the number of seats as it also needs infrastructure, doctors, teachers, etc,” Vice President of AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association, Subroto Mandal said.
“We want an assurance that unless the number of seats are increased with proper infrastructure, there should not be an increase in the quota from the current level,” he said. “Negotiations are on but we will continue to strike,” Mandal said.
Regarding the 24-hour notices issued by the government to striking doctors he said: “We had burnt these notices as an expression of our solidarity.”
Prospects of institutes of higher education giving in to government’s demand of increasing their seats also seem fairly limited. Without revealing his stand on reservation, director of Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) Bakul Dholakia said yesterday that his institute could not increase its seats. “IIM-A in a massive expansion plan has increased its seats from 180 in 2002 to 400 by 2007. At this juncture our plate is totally full, “ he said. As all programs at IIM-A are resident ones, he said: “We require hostel facility to accommodate each student in the institute.”
Meanwhile, medicos’ pro-reservation agitation took a violent turn in Patna (Bihar), as the police indulged in brutal lath charge against the students. The policemen were provoked when one of their colleagues was beaten up by a protester. As things turned violent, several vehicles were damaged and some media persons were also injured.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
