For months now, students of Sri Venkateswara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (SVMCH), Pondicherry had been complaining about not being allowed inside the classroom because of an ongoing court case regarding fee payment. Finally, they were able to get some justice with the help of Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry when she intervened in the matter.
Since 2016, there has been an ongoing battle in court between some students and the management regarding fees fixed for students who were admitted through the management quota. The students had alleged that they were being charged exorbitant fees but the administration kept maintaining that it was due to their admission through management quota. But despite court orders advising the management to not discriminate against the students, the former has been treating the students partially. Students were allegedly made to sit separately and were not allowed to use the facilities provided by the college. They then approached the governor for help.
Watch what unfolded on the day that Bedi visited the college-
Bedi made a surprise visit to the campus and sought answers. In the video shared by her on her twitter handle, Bedi can be seen questioning the college authorities on why the students were being asked to sit separately and when the authorities deny such incidents, she called for the students. The students said that they had been separated from the main class and were made to sit in a small room. They said that they were not provided with equal facilities and weren't even given a projector, "The management would make PG students teach us instead of the regular professors," said one of the students.
The medical students said that they had lost out on nearly half the semester because of this ongoing discrimination. On catching them red-handed, the Governor said that the administration should immediately stop the discrimination. She pointed out that in the court's order copy it was clearly mentioned that the students should be allowed to sit in class and not be impacted negatively by the ongoing proceedings.
"Money will come and go but how can you play with the careers of these students? Would you do this to your own sons and daughters?" she questioned. It was only after a representative of the administration met with the parents and assured them that their wards would not be discriminated against, the Governor left the premises. "I want you to come to me after a month and let me know how things are," she told the students as well.
