Kolkata: Students of Calcutta Medical College on indefinite fast seeking student council election

The students of Calcutta Medical College (CMC) are on an indefinite fast demanding immediate student council election. This agitation reached its third day on Saturday, December 10. As per a CMC official, two students who were fasting fell sick on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Further, the official added that the sick students are in stable condition now. 

A senior doctor of CMC, who is negotiating with the agitating students, told reporters he has requested the agitators "who are our children" to withdraw the fast and sit for talks with the authorities. But the agitators have demanded that the principal give an assurance that the students union poll be held on December 22 and start the process immediately, or the fast will continue, as stated in a report by PTI. 

The fast was launched by the students on December 8, Thursday. Speaking in this regard, an agitating student Rajib Roy said no student union election has taken place in CMC in the past three years. "We are losing our patience as the authorities are not showing any inclination to start the process," he added.

Sharing more details, a college official said that CMC students' council elections were scheduled to be held on December 26 but were postponed recently by the health department. 

Moreover, a protestor who is not a part of the fasting lot, said that a sit-in protest was launched by the students before the office of the college principal Indranil Biswas on December 5. "We withdrew the sit-in on December 6 night considering the health condition of our teachers. We did not want to inconvenience them. But if there is a problem with the health of our friends, should that not be a matter of concern to the authorities?", he said.